Belgium and Antarctica

Transcription

Belgium
and Antarctica
Exploration, Science and Environment
Preface
Princess Elisabeth Station: Belgian scientific policy at the heart of
Antarctic research
The link between Belgium and the Antarctic has always been strong since the first overwintering of the scientific expedition
led by Adrien de Gerlache from 1897 to 1899, passing through the construction of the King Baudouin Base in 1958 and Belgium’s participation in the Antarctic Treaty negotiations in 1959. This link reflects the close cooperation that exists between
the challenges of exploration and scientific research on this continent of extremes.
The construction of the new Belgian polar research station, Princess Elisabeth, the fruit of the indefatigable will and energy
of Alain Hubert, a man who takes up any challenge, together with the enthusiastic engagement of the Federal science policy
and the indispensable financial support of private partners willing to contribute to this scientific tool, is a modern example
of how coordinated action can ensure the success of advanced research.
An external evaluation of the Federal science policy’s “Antarctic” programme, carried out in 2002, praised the internationally recognised quality of Belgian research in this field. Beyond increasing the nation’s involvement in the Antarctic Treaty
system, the report also recommended ensuring the continuity of Belgian Antarctic research and securing the future financing
of logistical means.
It is with the very real conviction of the relevance of Belgian scientific activity in the Antarctic region, that I have made it
my expressed intention, for 2008 and 2009, to significantly increase the engagement of the Federal State in the financing of
this research base. Belgium has always been, and should remain, an indispensable actor on this continent whose importance
for the future of humanity cannot be overestimated.
To add further impetus to the engagement of our scientific institutions, universities and research centres in the scientific
work at the Princess Elisabeth station, I have recently given my support to its reinforcement through the introduction of new
climate research programmes.
As day breaks on the inauguration of this exceptional scientific tool, I take great pleasure in thanking the International Polar
Foundation, Alain Hubert, all the sponsors and everyone who has believed in this project and worked towards the fruition of
this extraordinary human and scientific adventure that is now rendered visible and real in the Princess Elisabeth Antarctic
research station.
The Minister of Federal Science Policy/Scientific research
Belgium and Antarctica: Exploration, Science and Environment
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Antarctica: A region under strict
protection
This splendid anthology of Antarctica is a response to two needs as it was necessary, firstly to refresh an “Antarctic memory”
which was vanishing and, secondly, to highlight a series of successful Belgian initiatives.
With regard to environmental policy in this region, our department has implemented concrete actions since 2003, both under
the Antarctic Treaty and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). Belgium is
now undertaking again a proactive environmental policy, such as advancing a future network of marine protected areas or
working on a regulatory framework for bioprospecting.
Antarctica has become a research laboratory for sustainable development, representing an inexhaustible source of inspiration
for present and, hopefully, future generations.
Our department will continue to co-operate with the Federal science policy, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the International Polar Foundation and the other non-governmental organisations, with a view to addressing Antarctic issues in an
integrated and consistent way, to ensure the highest level of protection for Antarctica.
Roland MOREAU
Director-General
Directorate-General for Environment
Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment
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Content
© Anne Goffart
Chronology
6
Science and peace : the legal destiny of Antarctica
8
Captivated by the Pole: the Belgians in Antarctica
18
A century of research at the South Pole
24
The Federal science policy: cornerstone of Belgian
Antarctic policy
34
Europe retraces the history of climate on Earth through EPICA
36
2007-2008, an austral summer with a focus on research
40
Belgium builds the most environment-friendly polar base ever
50
Four new scientific research stations on the white continent
56
Observers at the end of the Earth
66
CryoSat-2, the space spy who loved the cold
70
Antarctica in our dreams
75
Antarctica on the web
78
Of tooth and gum...
82
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1780
1800
1820
1773
1820
James Cook (United Kingdom) crossed
the Antarctic circle
Fabian von Bellingshausen, captain
of the Russian royal navy, glimpsed
Antarctica for the first time. He
discovered Alexander Island and called
it Alexander I Land.
Chronology
1900
1897
Adrien de Gerlache left
Antwerp on board the
Belgica, which was stuck
in the ice for 375 days.
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1928
The continent was flown
over for the first time.
1920
1940
1911
1946-47
The Norwegian Roald Amundsen
reached the South Pole, followed
by Robert Scott (United Kingdom),
a month later.
‘Operation Highjump’ from
the United States under the
command of Admiral E. Byrd:
13 boats, 23 planes and 4700
staff members. The biggest
expedition ever, flying over
and photographing a major
part of Antarctica, confirming
the presence of the United
States in Antarctica.
Chronology
1840
1860
1880
1840
While searching for the magnetic pole, James Clark Ross (United Kingdom), Sébastien Dumont d’Urville (France) and
Charles Wilkes (United States) discovered the first contours of the Antarctic continent:
1963–1965
First Belgian-Dutch expedition and
the construction of the new King
Baudouin base
1964–1966
Second Belgian-Dutch
expedition
1967-68
First summer expedition in
collaboration with South Africa
2008
1968-1969
Law creating the
service d’Etat à
gestion séparée
(governmental body
with autonomous
management),
named the Polar
Secretariat
Second summer expedition in
1969-1970
Third summer expedition in
2009
1965–1967
Inauguration of the
new research station
Princess Elisabeth
Third Belgian-Dutch
expedition
1967
Closure of the King
Baudouin base
1960
1980
2000
1957
1991
2004
International Geophysical Year and Gaston de Gerlache’s
first expedition with a view to constructing the King
Baudouin base.
Signature of the Madrid
Protocol relating
to the protection of
the environment in
Antarctica (entered into
force in 1998)
The Belgian government
decides to construct a new
summer research station. The
International Polar Foundation
(IPF) coordinates the
construction and organises the
following expeditions:
- BELARE 2004-2005: selection
of the construction site
- BELARE 2005-2006:
inventory of possible
unloading sites
- BELARE 2006-2007:
preparation of the
construction site; first
unloading & traverses
- BELARE 2007-2008: first part
of the construction of the
polar research station
- BELARE 2008-2009: second
part of the construction and
first research projects
1958-1959
First Belgian Antarctic expedition
1959
Signature of the Antarctic Treaty in Washington
(entered into force in 1961). Belgium was one of the
twelve first signatories of the Treaty.
1959–1960
Second Belgian Antarctic expedition
1985
1960–1961
Third Belgian Antarctic expedition
First Antarctic research
programmes financed by
the Federal science policy.
These programmes are
still ongoing.
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ANTARCTICA
AND THE
SOUTHERN OCEAN
Territorial Claims
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Science and peace:
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Produced by the Australian Antarctic Data Centre.
Published February 2007. Map Catalogue No: 13328.
For information about data sources used in this map refe
http://aadc-maps.aad.gov.au/aadc/mapcat/display_map.
History
1957, the International Geophysical Year, was definitely
the year for global awareness: land, sea, air and the
cosmos were on everyone’s mind and it was within this
favourable context that the ice and rock of Antarctica
became the object of particular attention, especially
for lawyers.
Right in the middle of the Cold War, it didn’t take
much for a reserve of natural riches like Antarctica
to become the object of genuine conflicts between
nations. Numerous claims had already been made
on the continent, some from the closest countries
(‘Adjoining States’), others from certain industrialised
nations or exploring countries who intended to make
the most of their scientific investment.
In reality, there were two sorts of national claims on all
or part of the continent.
1° Some states claimed one or other part of the ‘land’
in Antarctica divided into concentric sections starting
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from the South Pole. Thus, Australia, France, the United
Kingdom and Norway laid claim to their sovereignty
and certain territorial rights on the grounds of their
discovery and occupation (sporadic) of certain areas in
Antarctica. As for the adjoining states (such as Chile
and Argentina), the principle of proximity they referred
to justified similar rights, in their opinion.
2° Other states, such as the United States or the Soviet
Union, opposed these claims. This attitude, which
may seem paradoxical at first sight given the
background of the Cold War, can easily be explained
if we bear in mind the continuous preoccupation of
these two super-powers of not engaging in any bids
that they were not sure winning. Some international
legal systems, such as those concerning extraatmospheric space or the high seas, thus benefited
from the reciprocal fear of the East and West of
seeing their rivalry extend to land or domains that
escaped their control. In case of doubt, neutrality
would be adopted. This was the case in Antarctica.
Science and peace : the legal
destiny of Antarctica
ont
30°E
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Bouvet I (NOR)
Prince Edward Is (ZAF)
outh Sandwich Is (GBR)/
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Territorial Claim boundaries
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Australian claim
British claim
)
Chilean claim
French claim
New Zealand claim
3000
Kilometres
er to:
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Norwegian claim
Northern and southern limits
of claim undefined
Macquarie I (AUS)
Ice shelf, ice tongue
Campbell I (NZ)
180°
© Jean-Henri Hecq
Auckland Is (NZ)
© Australian Antarctic Division
Return to the 1957/1958 International Geophysical
Year. This event offered scientists a unique opportunity
to demonstrate the primary vocation of Antarctica. An
almost immaculate continent at the time, which had
been the planet’s natural reserve and safe for hundreds
of millions of years, the great white continent was
to be dedicated first and foremost to research for the
well-being of all humanity. The action launched in
1958 aimed at developing such research was entrusted
to an international non-governmental organisation,
the International Council for Science (ICSU). The
special status of this body, acknowledged as being
independent, allowed the inauguration in practice of
what was to become the foundations for the Law of
Antarctica and the Treaty of Washington.
The Washington Treaty
The Antarctic Treaty, signed in Washington D.C.
on 1 December 1959, will go down in the history of
international law as a special instrument, for several
reasons relating to the system it established.
First of all, it was the first of the major treaties that
subjected part of the planet to a specific international
system, sanctioning scientific use with the exclusion of
any military use.
Outside of the United Nations, it constituted a unique
example of a hierarchical organisation of states and
privileges granted to certain nations in relation to
others. Although Antarctica’s system was indeed an
international system, it was not, however, universal.
According to the 1959 Treaty, the states fell into three
categories:
slRSTOFALLTHEREWERETHETWELVEFOUNDINGSTATESTHE
initial signatories of the treaty, including Belgium;
sTHENTHEREWERETHEADVISORYPARTIESIETHESTATESWHO
demonstrated their ability to participate in research
in Antarctica. Initially 15, these advisory parties
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could participate in the cooptation of new signatory
states which could, in turn, participate in the research
activities in Antarctica;
slNALLYTHEREWERETHENONSIGNATORYOBSERVERSWHO
were interested in the activities although they didn’t
have the technical abilities to participate.
It was possible for any United Nations’ member state to
become a signatory of the Treaty.
Principles of the Washington Treaty
The delimitation of Antarctica. The area covered by
the Treaty of 1959 is defined as that which extends
below the 60th parallel of the southern hemisphere.
Antarctica is therefore a continental zone and a marine
zone.
The freezing of claims. This is also a special aspect
of the Law of Antarctica: the territorial claims made
by some states have not been neutralised owing to
the participation of these states in the Treaty. It is
specifically provided for that the rights acquired or
claimed when the Treaty was concluded are preserved
by the party states but they can only be exercised
subject to the principles referred to in the Treaty. As
often described, these rights remain ‘frozen’ as long as
the Antarctic Treaty is in force.
Exclusive scientific use. While the technical and
financial means required by a polar expedition in
1959 guaranteed scientists relative de facto exclusivity
as regards access to and staying on the Antarctic
continent, this is no longer the case today. In practice,
and sometimes under cover of scientific purposes,
some commercial activities (extreme tourism, cruises,
etc.) are carried out beyond the 60th parallel.
The corollary of scientific exclusivity is to ban any
military activity. While scientific research was in
some way a pretext, at the time, for the ‘pacification’
of Antarctica, it currently represents a fundamental
stake. The extreme and relatively virgin environment
of the continent offers scientists a fabulous research
10
laboratory. But this itself is a continuous subject for
study. The problem of global warming shows to what
extent the fate of our civilisations is linked to that of
Antarctica. The complete melting of the austral icecap
would correspond to sea levels rising 75 metres. The
destiny of Antarctica is therefore not the exclusive
right of a small community of states, even though they
are the pioneers of its discovery and the guardians of
its use...
Another corollary of exclusive scientific use – but
which is not referred to in the Treaty of Washington –
is the ban on, or at least the limitation of prospecting
and exploitation activities relating to the natural
mineral or fossil resources. These types of activities
were the subject of future negotiations (see below,
Black gold in a white paradise) which finally ended in
their complete ban by the Madrid Protocol in 1991 (see
The Madrid Protocol).
The freedom of scientific research and co-operation.
While this freedom was to initially, and according to an
American proposal, benefit all nations, the final version
of the Treaty of Washington only gave the signatories
the power to organise or authorise research activities
in Antarctica. It is remarkable that the Treaty provides
for the possibility of organisations or individuals under
private law to carry out such research, as long as they
come from one of the signatory countries.
This discrimination is somewhat softened by the cooperation principle which obliges the parties in the
Treaty to implement measures aimed at facilitating
the exchange of information, scientific results and
staff, not only among themselves but also within the
United Nations and its agencies or bodies interested in
research in Antarctica.
Mutual control. In order to ensure each party state
and its citizens respect their obligations, the Treaty
organises a mutual control and visit system. This system
is a pragmatic alternative to the establishment of an
organisation or control body. One of the characteristics
of the Treaty of Washington is indeed its low level
of institutionalisation which can undoubtedly be
© Australian Antarctic Division (Belgian delegation at the first Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, Canberra, 10 July 1961)
explained by the sensitive nature of the stakes and
interests and the compromise this treaty represents.
This mutual inspection system clearly has a dissuasive
effect. No physical restraint is possible if a state fails
to fulfil its obligations. However, the good level of
co-operation and credibility a party state can hope to
benefit from, is directly linked to its desire to comply
with the rules of the game.
Criticism against the Washington Treaty
The relatively closed system of the Treaty of Washington
restricting research in Antarctica to certain states has
not escaped criticism.
First of all, it is based on a mechanism of extension
of sovereignty – occupation – which has been
significantly called into question, especially as regards
the decolonisation policy within the United Nations. By
freezing the issues of national sovereignty, the Treaty
has nevertheless favoured the states that have put
forward a claim, and it is not certain whether the result
of these issues would be the same today as it would
have been in 1959.
Discrimination between the signatory states, on the
one hand, and the observer states or third-party states,
on the other hand, is difficult to justify with regard to
the issue of study and the protection of Antarctica on
a global level. The mutual control system emphasises
this discrimination by restricting the monopoly of
monitoring Antarctica to the party states, at a moment
when the diversification of activities in this part of
the globe could risk harming its environment and the
exclusive vocation of its use.
While it is correct that the party states have, up until
now, shown an acute sense of responsibility, there is
nothing to say that new economic or strategic claims
on Antarctica and its natural resources won’t damage
the sense of solidarity and obligation which unites the
states that are party to the Treaty of Washington.
Revision of the Washington Treaty
Contrary to what is sometimes claimed, the Antarctic
Treaty has no specific validity date. Undoubtedly, it
is because it ‘suspends’ these claims that it has this
temporary appearance. It was also provided for that the
Treaty could be reviewed upon the request of at least
one advisory party upon the thirtieth anniversary of
its coming into force, i.e. 23 June 1991. On this date,
no request for a review was made. Since then, the
Treaty may be revised or amended in accordance with
its provisions and international law, just like any other
treaty.
11
© Damien Cardinal (encounter with a group of rorquals)
OTHER TREATIES ON ANTARCTICA
The 1980 Canberra Convention. This convention
concerns the protection of Antarctica’s marine fauna and
flora. Furthermore, it established an international body
specific to Antarctica for the first time: the Commission for
the conservation of Antarctic marine fauna and flora (see
Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Living Marine
Resources (CCAMLR)).
The 1991 Madrid Protocol. This instrument reinforces
the Treaty of Washington by establishing a system of
protection for the environment, mainly based on control
and international responsibility as regards the activities
carried out in Antarctica (see The Madrid Protocol).
The 1972 Convention for the Conservation of
Antarctic Seals.
BLACK GOLD IN A WHITE PARADISE
12
resources): however, nobody was particularly happy with
it. Its major fault was undoubtedly the overly complex
mechanisms and a lack of transparency regarding the
fundamental principles which each party expected to be
confirmed. Technically-speaking, the Wellington Agreement
provided for the creation of a court of arbitration responsible
for settling differences regarding the implementation of its
provisions. This system was mostly based on the one set up
for the exploitation of the seabed by the 1982 Montego Bay
Agreement on the law of the sea.
The issue of the exploitation of natural resources in
places which are subject to an international system is
acknowledged as being very difficult. By establishing
these resources as the common heritage of humanity, the
Montego Bay Agreement and the 1979 Moon Agreement
taught the nations a lesson, disrupting the economic
momentum of industrialised countries and attracting
the distrust of developing countries. Today, no-one
wants to hear about the common heritage of humanity
anymore (a term that was never applied to Antarctica or
its resources).
While some are attracted by Antarctica because of the
magic of its landscapes, the discovery of its fauna and flora
or the geological secrets hidden in the continent, others
see it as an unexploited reserve of energy sources. Gas
and oil are indeed riches but also a threat for Antarctica’s
continental subsoil and seabed.
That said, avoiding the issue won’t answer it: what will
happen when the industrial consortiums demonstrate
the opportunities and the profitability of exploiting these
resources at a time when the other deposits are coming
to an end?
The idea of industrially exploiting these resources certainly
isn’t new. In 1988, the Wellington Agreement attempted to
make a compromise between those in favour of exploiting
the mineral resources (defined as including all non-living
Technically-speaking, the Wellington Agreement is still
alive: its implementation was suspended by the 1991 Madrid
Protocol, which exclusively sided with the protection of
the environment by purely and simply banning any activity
THE MADRID PROTOCOL
© Andrew Jackson (XXVI Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (Madrid). Left:
the Belgian delegation: Alexandre de Lichtervelde and Hugo Decleir)
concerning prospecting or the exploitation of mineral
resources in Antarctica. While there is very little chance
that this agreement will come into force one day, it has the
merit of offering certain avenues of thought on a global
and international system to manage natural resources.
History and contents
This text, which was adopted in Madrid in 1991 and came into
force in 1998, is a key stage in the evolution of the Antarctic
Treaty. It has made Antarctica a nature reserve, devoted to
peace and science and has established the environmental
principles to which all activities are subjected. It forbids any
mining activities and subjects all activities to a preliminary
environmental impact study. Finally, it requires contingency
plans to be developed in order to meet situations that are
critical for the environment.
It has six appendixes:
Environmental Impact Assessment
Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora
III Waste Disposal and Waste Management
IV Prevention of Marine Pollution
V Area Protection and Management
VI Liability Arising from Environmental Emergencies
(not yet in force)
APPENDIX I
With the Madrid Protocol, international law seems to have
blocked any possibility of seeing the mineral resources of
the white continent being taken by storm one day by the
major oil and gas producers. However, a legal loophole
may allow the installation of extraction platforms a few
cable lengths away from the Antarctic coast, even on the
ice floe itself. This loophole concerns the definition of
the Antarctic Treaty area in Article VI of the Washington
Treaty. This text states that the Treaty cannot hinder
the application of the regime of the high seas in the
Antarctic zone. However, the high seas are defined by
default as any area of sea that has not been placed under
national sovereignty. With the freeze on the claims of
sovereignty in 1959, we can conclude that beyond the
60th parallel, there are no areas of territorial sea. On the
contrary, any marine zone in Antarctica, including the ice
floe, can be considered as the high seas in the sense of
international law. What is interesting for industrialists
in this reasoning is that the seabeds corresponding to
the high seas (except for the national continental shelf)
have the status of common heritage for humanity. Their
exploitation is placed under the surveillance and control
of the International Seabed Authority, established in
Jamaica. Even if this exploitation has remained extremely
theoretical up until now, global needs in mineral resources
may well justify having recourse to this system one day,
or to envisage another more liberal one.
APPENDIX II
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
A revision procedure is currently underway for some of
the appendices.
The Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP)
established in 1998, which currently includes 32 member
countries, holds an annual meeting and advises the Treaty’s
Parties. Belgium is represented by the DG Environment of the
FPS Health, Food chain safety and Environment, alongside
representatives from the Federal science policy. It should
be noted that the CEP’s workload is continually increasing
according to the growing number of subjects dealt with.
Belgium plays an active role in the following priority
conservation themes: protected areas and, through an
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) working
group, assessment of the possible environmental impact
of bioprospecting and collaboration with another
Antarctic Treaty System convention, the Convention on
the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
(CCAMLR).
13
Belgian law of 7 April 2005 (M.B. (law gazette) 19
May 2005)
It is our law of 7 April 2005 that implements the Protocol
in Belgian law. The law includes the protection provisions
provided for in the Protocol and designates the authority
responsible for issuing the permits covering the activities
envisaged in Antarctica, essentially by the Belgians or
entities under Belgian law. Those concerned are the Princess
Elisabeth research station and non-governmental tourist
expeditions. The permits are issued by the federal minister
whose remit is the environment. The latter may request an
environmental impact report if the impact of the activity is
minor or provisional, or if this impact is more than minor or
provisional. The permit may be accompanied by conditions.
Severe sanctions are provided for in case of a breach.
CONVENTION ON THE CONSERVATION OF
ANTARCTIC LIVING MARINE RESOURCES (CCAMLR)
The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic
marine fauna and flora was established by the Canberra
Convention and covers the vast waters of the Southern
Ocean south of 60° South. Belgium has been a member
of the Commission since its creation in 1982. It was the
first regional fishing organisation to apply the ecosystem
approach in combination with the principle of precaution.
The Southern waters shelter much sought-after resources:
mainly fish and krill. At the basis of the Antarctic food
chain, krill has attracted increasing interest in industrial
fishing. By participating in the organisation’s work,
Belgium is endeavouring, along with other non-fishing
countries, to ensure that the environmental considerations
are integrated into fishing activities. In 2005, the question
of protected marine areas was put on the agenda and,
since then, Belgium has been participating in a concrete
way in the identification and creation process of a network
representative of protected areas.
© Bruno Delille
14
THE FUTURE OF THE ANTARCTIC TREATY
After 50 years in existence, and with its 47 member states, the
Antarctic Treaty remains a reference in terms of multilateral
governance. The practice of consensus in decision-making
by the countries which are party to the Treaty, at least those
with the status of Consultative Party, constitutes both a
strength through the legitimacy it gives to the decisions and
a weakness owing to the slowness of the process.
While the Treaty has succeeded in preserving the future of
the White Continent up until now, it now has to face a variety
of pressures: rapid growth in tourism, bioprospecting1,
illegal fishing, increase in the number of research stations
and science projects with a variable environmental impact.
Tourism and bioprospecting affect the very principles of
the Treaty: the Continent is indeed exclusively devoted to
science & peace. This is why there is often mention of a new
appendix to the Madrid Protocol, concerning tourism. As for
fishing, whether it refers to fish or the now famous krill,
the regulation of this activity is a prerequisite to ensure the
future of Antarctica’s fragile ecosystem.
The existence of areas under national sovereignty in the subAntarctic islands adds ambiguities linked to policies inspired
by contradictory motivations.
Another recent development is the reinforced co-operation
with the other elements of the Antarctic Treaty System.
Several subjects are of common interest to the Committee
for the Environmental Protection of the Treaty (CEP) and the
Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living
Resources (CCAMLR): the monitoring of the environment,
the protected areas and their management, species requiring
special protection, marine pollution, exotic invasive species,
climate change. If we consider that Antarctica constitutes
one and the same ecosystem composed of a terrestrial
part and a marine part, it is indeed desirable for these two
organisations to increase their collaboration.
1
Bioprospecting is the research of biological components and
processes that can lead to commercial applications.
© Jean-Louis Tison (Krill)
In April 2009, the fifty years of the Treaty will be celebrated
in Baltimore (United States). It will also be an opportunity
to think of a vision for the next 50 years. The host countries
are determined on an alphabetic basis. In 2013, Belgium will
host the Parties’ annual meeting once again, after having
hosted it in 1964 and 1985.
SPACE AND ANTARCTICA
Space at the service of Antarctica: nothing could be more
justified when you consider that the white continent
is a natural laboratory which is used to prepare longterm space missions: isolation, confinement, a hostile
environment to humans, these are all conditions that are
found in the cosmos.
But the similarities don’t stop there. In the legal domain,
space also took inspiration from the ideas and concepts
developed in the Antarctic Treaty. The comparison is
particularly relevant between the 1959 Antarctic Treaty
and the 1979 Agreement on the Moon and other celestial
bodies.
15
© Associated Press, Chilean Navy (sinking MV Explorer in Antarctica, 2007)
INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM / FREEDOM OF SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH
PEACEFUL AIMS / BAN ON MILITARY ACTIVITIES
Both the Law of Outer Space and the Law of Antarctica
systems guarantee the freedom of scientific research,
apart from the fact that the Treaty of Washington limits
this freedom to researchers from the party states.
While the notion of peaceful aims has greatly evolved
since their adoption right in the middle of the Cold War,
both the Antarctic Treaty and the Moon Agreement ban
military activities. However, they don’t forbid the use of
military personnel for peaceful purposes.
MUTUAL CONTROL AND INSPECTION VISITS
BAN ON NUCLEAR TESTS
This system is also applicable to (future) lunar bases and
installations or those installed on other planets in our
solar system. The mutual visits and inspections allow the
provisions in the applicable treaties to be respected to a
certain degree..
Besides their military aim, the storage, test or activation of
nuclear loads or waste are banned by both treaties.
INTERNATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
The Washington Treaty is complemented by the Madrid
Protocol on the protection of the Antarctic environment.
This protocol provides for the state’s international
responsibility owing to the activities it carries out or which
are carried out by private individuals under its authorisation.
This system is very similar to the one concerning activities
in outer space.
16
© John Weller
17
Captivated by the Pole:
the Belgians in Antarctica
Senne Starckx - Pictures: de Gerlache collection
When the Antarctic winter drew to an end in September 1898
the pack ice around the Belgica finally began to thaw and
a chapter closed on a perilous Belgian adventure. The name
Adrien de Gerlache would go down in history, and our nation
would set out on an enduring commitment to the Antarctic
continent.
When the sixth International geographical congress was
held in London in 1895 there were only a few blind spots
left on the world map. Explorers, often in the pay of
the European powers, had pushed right into the deepest
jungles of Black-Africa, and even the world’s oceans
contained only a few places which had not already
been logged by a passing ship. But, at the bottom of the
world atlas there lay a glaring exception: Antarctica, the
seventh and last continent, of which only a few stretches
of coastline had ever been seen by human eyes. The
London congress had every reason for complaint. After
the James Ross expedition of 1841 all exploration of this
last piece of terra incognita had ground to a halt. All
despite the fact that in the first half of the 19th century,
after the fall of Napoleon, it was still looking as though
the Southern Continent would soon be ‘taken’. In spite of
the many expeditions things had not progressed beyond
feeling out the contours of the last continent and the
many islands dotted around it. It was Russian naval
18
officer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen who, from
the deck of his ship, may well have been the first to see
the Antarctic mainland (that was in 1820). Three years
later British seafarer James Weddell reconnoitred the sea
off the Antarctic Peninsula, a finger of land pointing out
towards South America, and, exploring the sea named
after Weddell, compatriot James Ross discovered the
world’s largest floating ice shelf (the Ross Ice Shelf). But
none of these men, or their crews, had ever set foot on the
mainland of the South Pole.
Scientists sought to use the Geographical congress of
1895 to prompt the governments of Europe and North
America to lend their weight to the endeavour. A
resolution containing the following keynote was passed:
The exploration of the Antarctic regions is the greatest
piece of geographical exploration still to be undertaken…
and this work should be undertaken before the close of the
century. Much of the southern continent would have to be
Emil Racovitsa in his laboratory
the Belgica
mapped out by 1900. Naturally, the London congress had
in mind a British or American expedition, possibly with
help from Scandinavia. The Norwegians, for example,
were very much at home in the ice-cold polar waters, due
for the most part to their whaling activities. In fact, in the
same year, 1895, a Norwegian-born Australian, Carsten
Borchgrevink, had already sailed to Antarctica and been
the first to set foot on the mainland, near Cape Adare in
Victoria Land. But before the turn of the century only
one country was to heed the call of the London meeting.
This South Pole expedition sailed not under the British or
American flag, but under the tricolour of a country that
actually had nothing to gain from the Antarctic.
This was a viewpoint shared by the Belgian government,
not to mention Leopold II. The King already owned
the Congo Free State, which, until he ‘bestowed’ it on
the government in 1908, was the largest tract of land
on earth belonging to one person. He was more than
happy to send explorers to the Congo. After all, it paid
dividends. But what was there to be had from a huge
landmass under several kilometres of ice? However, a
young Belgian navy lieutenant from Hasselt was dead set
on the idea of sailing to Antarctica. His taste for adventure
had probably been whetted by stories of expeditions to
the Arctic Ocean, such as those of the Norwegian polar
explorer, Fridtjof Nansen, who managed to get very close
to the geographical North Pole in his ship, the Fram. But
if this Adrien de Gerlache was to succeed he would have
to set up his expedition without much help from the
government. It was by forging a union with scientists
that de Gerlache managed in the end to scrape together
the resources he needed to provision his ship and crew.
The expedition with the Belgica became the first polar
expedition with a true scientific leaning.
Belgium may not have had a maritime history to speak
of, but by the end of the XIX century it did have
19
Adrien de Gerlache on the bridge of the Belgica
LE OR LA BELGICA ?
La Belgica (female) is that famous Belgian polar exploration
vessel, which was the first ship to winter in the Antarctic ice
(1897-1899). Originally a Norwegian sealer called La Patria,
built in 1884 and bought by Adrien de Gerlache in 1896 to
be rebaptised Belgica in preparation for a polar expedition
to the Antarctic. To this end certain modifications were
carried out, such as hull, keel and tiller reinforcement in
order to resist the punishing ice, as well as a new propeller
screw and a new boiler. Finally a roof, intended to shelter
the laboratories, was constructed on the bridge.
Le Belgica (male) is a public service oceanographic
vessel; property of the Belgian State and dependent on
the Federal science policy. Since 1984, the Belgica has
assumed the surveillance of the North Sea, constantly
gathering a rich diversity of data on the biological,
chemical, physical, geological and hydrodynamic
processes taking place there.
something of a tradition in the field of science, and
particularly industry. There was Ernest Solvay, who,
by discovering a simple process for making sodium
carbonate, had built up a huge industrial empire in
a short space of time. And then there was Edouard
Empain, whose Groupe Empain was laying railway
lines and tram and metro tracks all over the world.
Therefore, in de Gerlache’s plan the Belgian industrial
world saw an opportunity to spread its reputation
abroad - an early form of sponsoring, which it would
be hard to imagine a modern-day expedition without.
However, besides funding, de Gerlache was, of course,
in need of competent crew, and, above all else, a
well-found ship! To find one he went to the Svelvig
shipyard in Oslo, where he purchased a three-masted
vessel – although it did have steam engines – and had
it refitted from top to bottom. He named it the Belgica.
He also took on a few Norwegians as crew (among
them Roald Amundsen, later the first man to reach
the South Pole). In addition, he took two Polish, one
Romanian, and even an American scientist aboard.
More than just scientific, the Belgica expedition was
highly international.
Adrien de Gerlache and his crew left Antwerp on 16
Augustus 1897 and set course for South America. Along
the way, the consequence of having only scientists on
board made itself keenly felt. Whereas a real explorer
would have sailed south as quickly as possible, the
American doctor, Frederick Cook, wanted to stop
off and acquaint himself with the indigenous Indian
peoples of Patagonia. And the Romanian biologist,
Emil Racovitza, took great pleasure in studying the
vegetation in the coastal region of Tierra del Fuego.
In the end, the crew of the Belgica did not reach the
Antarctic Peninsula until early February 1898, where
they discovered straits which now appear on the map
as the de Gerlache Strait and contain the islands of
Anvers, Brabant, Gand and Liege.
In search of new land the Belgica then sailed south, but
in early March it became trapped in the thickening pack
ice, for the Antarctic winter was at the door. The Belgica
was unable to move a yard forward or backwards and it
became clear that de Gerlache and his crew would be the
20
first people ever to spend the winter below the Antarctic
Circle. All indications seem to suggest that if the captain
of the Belgica had not already been considering this
plan he would not have sailed so far south with winter
fast approaching. Moreover, the Belgica was well
equipped for this: the U-shape of the hull, as opposed
to a V-shape, meant that the ship was not crushed but
raised in the pack ice. A trick de Gerlache had learned
from Nansen. The polar winter came, and, by 18 May,
brought with it the polar night: the sun would not show
itself to the crew now until August. Not only was this
very bad for moral, but it also robbed the men of their
daily dose of vitamin C. Only in September 1898 was
the Belgica able to free itself from its delicate situation,
but it would take until February before the journey
home could be undertaken. It goes without saying that
de Gerlache and his crew were welcomed as heroes
in Antwerp. But there was a damper on the party:
two of the crew had not survived the expedition. The
Norwegian seaman Auguste-Karl Wiencke had fallen
overboard and drowned and the Belgian geophysicist
Emile Danco had died of heart failure as a result of the
extreme conditions. But the Belgica expedition results
were acknowledged in scientific circles too. They had
discovered that the temperature remained below zero in
the Antarctic, even in the summer, which was not the
case in the Arctic regions – a remarkable observation!
After the turn of the century the nature of South Pole
expeditions changed dramatically. The race was on to
be the first man to stand at the geographical South Pole.
It was no longer a question of sailing as far south as
possible in a ship, but of ploughing through thousands
of kilometres through snow and ice by foot and by ski
with a team of huskies. It was something like the race
to the moon between the United States and the Soviet
Union in the nineteen sixties, although in this case it
was more of an individual contest. Roald Amundsen
for Norway against Robert Falcon Scott for the United
Kingdom – we are now in 1911. The story of Scott, who
reached the South Pole only to find the Norwegian flag
already planted there, is famous and tragic. Scott and his
21
fishing on the ice shelf
men would freeze to death on the leg home less than 18
kilometres from their supply post. And then there was
the legendary fight for survival of Ernest Shackleton
and his crew of the Endurance – we are now in 1914.
With the coming of the First World War all plans to
explore the southern pole were frozen.
But the Belgians would return to the Antarctic in the
footsteps of Adrien de Gerlache. De Gerlache himself,
for that matter, planned a second expedition, but was
unable to raise the funds he needed. It was not until
long after his death in 1934 that Belgium decided to
send people to the South Pole. Once again this was
spurred on by an international congress, this time
the International Geophysical Year (IGY), sometimes
referred to as the Third International Polar Year, which
was held between 1 July 1957 and 31 December 1958.
The purpose was again to gain a clearer picture of the
earth’s surface, only this time with the help of satellites.
As part of the activities for IGY a number of observation
stations were set up on the Antarctic coast, and the
22
Americans set up a base right on the geographical South
Pole. Here, scientists would measure the atmosphere,
geomagnetism, etc. The part played by the Belgians
in the history of Antarctic exploration gave Belgium
a foothold in this observation programme. And on
1 December 1959 Belgium would be one of the twelve
countries to sign the Antarctic Treaty. This treaty laid
the foundations for the protected status enjoyed by the
Antarctic continent to this day, as though it were one,
huge nature reserve.
The first Belgian base at the South Pole was erected
in Queen Maud Land, which is part of the Norwegian
claim, and christened the King Baudouin Base. It was
Adrien’s son, Gaston de Gerlache, who led the first
expedition, in which the entire base was transported
on two ships. On Boxing Day 1957 the Polarhav and
the Polarsirkel anchored off the coast of Antarctica.
At their own base the Belgian scientists studied the
southern lights (aurora australis), geomagnetism and
the composition of the snow and ice, while others
Federal science policy, Belgian scientists were again
highly active in Antarctic research programmes, albeit
as welcome guests at the bases and on the ships of
other nations. To date this long-term federal research
programme has ensured continuous funding for our
Belgian Antarctic researchers.
But there have been other initiatives too: to mark the one
hundredth anniversary of the de Gerlache expedition
Belgian explorers Alain Hubert and Dixie Dansercoer
crossed the continent of Antarctica with no help or
provisioning from the outside. And climber Rudy Van
Snick scaled the highest mountain at the South Pole,
Mount Vinson, in 1995. With the installation of the
brand new Princess Elisabeth Base our nation is again
at the forefront of Antarctic research, 110 years after the
first Belgians sailed to Antarctica aboard the Belgica.
ANTARCTIC HERITAGE
reconnoitred the unexplored interior of the continent.
They named the peaks of the Belgica and Queen
Fabiola mountain ranges. The Belgian polar base was
permanently manned for three expeditions, until late
1961, but the National Centre for Polar Research could
not raise the funds needed to continue the Belgian
Antarctic programme.
However, Belgium would work hard to find a new
impulse for its southern pole research. New expeditions
were organised from 1964 to 1967 in collaboration with
the Netherlands (not one of our northern neighbours had
ever set foot on the South Pole before). The destination
was a new King Baudouin base less than one hundred
metres from the old, which had been buried in snow
and was completely unusable. From there the scientific
observations continued. But this second base was
to close fairly soon too, ending the Belgian logistic
presence on the continent. In collaboration with
South Africa, in the late sixties, and later, as of 1985,
thanks to funding via the Antarctic Programme of the
“At the end of the 19th Century, an initial scientific
expedition to Antarctica opened the way for scientists
to explore a continent which, up till then, had remained
almost entirely unknown. Then, sixty years later, a new
expedition was organized by Belgium. The memories of
Antarctic exploration have always adorned the quiet walls
of my family home; photographs familiar enough as to
become almost nostalgically distant.
This is why I have decided to re-immerse myself in the
history of these men, who each set off on their particular
adventure, each at the heart of his era and each with his
own motivation.
This history of exploration is the story of my grandfather,
the aviator Gaston de Gerlache, who set off in 1957 with
17 men to construct a base in a previously virgin part of
the continent. And, before him, of his father, Adrien, who
was the first man to pass an entire year in the Antarctic
with his team of scientists.”
“Antarctic Heritage”, a film by Henri de Gerlache (52
minutes) produced by Arctic productions and Alizé
production, in collaboration with the RTBF and with the
support of the Federal science policy.
23
A century of research at
the South Pole
Els Verweire
When Adrien de Gerlache allowed the pack ice to freeze around
the Belgica, this marked the start of a more or less constant
Belgian scientific presence in the Antarctic region. With the
help of Prof. Dr. emeritus Hugo Decleir of the Vrije Universiteit
Brussel and a few modern-day Antarctic researchers, we briefly
run over a hundred years of Belgian research in Antarctica.
At the end of the nineteenth century the North and
South poles were the last unexplored regions of the
earth. Some adventurers headed there to stake a
territorial claim; others had more commercial ends in
mind and went after seals or whales. In 1897 a certain
Adrien de Gerlache, undoubtedly the greatest mariner
that Belgium has ever known, set sail for the South
Pole in his ship the Belgica. His voyage would go down
in history as the first truly scientific expedition to the
Antarctic, and he himself as the first to overwinter
there. “Although not everyone is convinced that de
Gerlache intended to get stuck in the pack ice, I for
one am sure that it happened on purpose,” says Prof.
Dr. emeritus Hugo Decleir, former glaciologist at the
VUB. “Reading through the Belgica’s log it is obvious
that he intended to spend the polar winter in the pack
ice, as had his leading example, Norwegian explorer
Fridtjof Nansen, in the Arctic Ocean. Nansen allowed
24
the Arctic pack ice to freeze around the Fram, a ship
built especially for that purpose.”
Nansen’s mission to reach the geographical North
Pole may have failed, but, for its sheer audacity, his
expedition was greeted as a remarkable achievement.
Hugo Decleir: “De Gerlache attempted the same
kind of thing on the other side of the world, and
with equal success. Having sought advice, before
and after, from numerous Belgian universities and
scientific institutes, and having taken accomplished
scientists aboard from four different nations, his
expedition brought in results, not least in terms of
geographical discovery and scientific observation.
Good examples of these include the first ever complete
annual cycle of meteorological observations and a
great many specimens of newly discovered biological
species, which were still being studied midway into
the South Pole
© Tony Van Autenboer (Topographers)
© L. Goossens (the King Baudouin base covered by snow)
the twentieth century.” De Gerlache ushered in the
Heroic Era of Antarctic exploration. Countless
expeditions would follow, and, on 14 December
1911, the Norwegian, Roald Amundsen, second mate
aboard the Belgica, would become the first man to set
foot on the geographical South Pole. Little by little
the contours of the Last Continent would be charted.
But, for the time being, its geological, geophysical
and biological significance to the earth system would
remain unknown.
The King Baudouin base
The third International Polar Year of 1958-1959
heralded the second important phase of the Belgian
presence in the Antarctic. “This year was also known
as the International Geophysical Year, in which
not less than sixty-four nations signalled their
commitment to study the physical characteristics
of the earth,” says Prof Decleir. “In that period a
massive scientific offensive was launched in all the
unexplored areas of the planet. And, because hardly
any real, systematic scientific observation had been
done in the Antarctic, the South Pole became one
of the central objectives. Twelve nations – of which
Belgium – decided to establish more than fifty bases
on the Pole with the principle aim of studying our
planet’s relationship with the sun. The Americans
built the Amundsen-Scott base at its theoretically
most important point – the geographical South Pole
–, the Russians set up their Vostok base at its least
accessible point – the middle of the East-Antarctic
icecap – and, on the initiative of Adrien de Gerlache’s
son Gaston de Gerlache, the Belgians confirmed their
scientific interest in the continent by establishing the
25
All rights reserved D.R.
King Baudouin base on a floating ice shelf off the
coast of Dronning Maud Land.”
On 1 December 1959 the same twelve nations
signed the Antarctic Treaty. This brought an end
to all territorial claims in the region, forbade all
military activities within its boundaries, and declared
Antarctica as a ‘continent for science and peace’. At
these fifty-five stations researchers from just about
every field of study gathered all kinds of data, which
they stored in a central databank. Hugo Decleir: “In
that period our knowledge of Antarctica progressed in
a spectacular way. Two types of data were collected.
Firstly, researchers took countless systematic
readings, that is, at regular intervals and according
to fixed procedures. These included the traditional
meteorological observations of temperature, air
pressure and wind speed, as well as observations
of different layers of the atmosphere, such as the
ionosphere and the ozone layer in the stratosphere.
Secondly, the scientists mapped out the continent’s
geography, geology and glaciology. Belgian geologists,
among whom Prof Tony Van Autenboer, played an
important role in this. They performed studies in the
Sør Rondane mountain range, at the foot of which
the new Belgian Princess Elisabeth research station is
built, and discovered, among other things, the Belgica
and Queen Fabiola mountains.”
26
Sadly, after barely ten years, the King Baudouin
base was forced to close. In the years between 1958
and 1961, however, it served as a base camp for the
Belgian Antarctic Expeditions, and later, after its
rebuilding in 1964, for the Belgo-Dutch Antarctic
Expeditions of 1964-1967. Hugo Decleir: “Financial
problems aside, the main reason for the base’s closure
was that it was in danger of vanishing beneath
the snow. Heat was escaping from the building to
the outside, so that the ice under the station was
thawing. Also, the base had to contend with massive
snowdrifts, caused by katabatic winds so typical for
the Antarctic region, and the accumulating snow was
gradually compressing the building.” Nonetheless, the
Belgian scientists managed to extend their presence
in Antarctica for a few more years. “We got another
three years by cooperating with South Africa,”
continues Hugo Decleir. “This was largely due to the
fact that the South African researchers, unlike the
Belgians, did not have airplanes. In return for having
two small planes shipped to Antarctica, the Belgians
flew logistic trips for the South African scientists. In
that period the Belgian scientists, myself included,
did mostly glaciological research, such as measuring
the ice thickness of the glaciers, which, incidentally,
we were the first to do using radio signals from an
airplane, for until then this had only been possible
by gravimetric and seismological measurement.
Unfortunately, however, one of the planes crashed on
an expedition, and thus, with nothing else to exchange,
our nation was forced to abandon Antarctica for quite
some time”.
It would be 1985 before Belgian researchers were
again able to visit the Antarctic. “In the meantime,
concerns about the environment had heightened
enormously”, explains Hugo Decleir. “The term global
change was being used for the first time: people had
become conscious of the fact that they were polluting
the earth on a massive scale and that global protective
measures would have to be put in place. And research
in the Antarctic fits in wonderfully well with this.”
In addition, pressure was mounting on Belgium as
a signatory to the Antarctic Treaty. This is because
the South Pole
when the Treaty was signed it had been agreed that a
nation could only be accorded consultative status if it
did important work in Antarctica. And, since Belgium
had not been there in fifteen years, its signatory status
was now is question. “In 1985, due in part to this
pressure, Belgian research resumed under the first
phase of the Belgian Antarctic Scientific Research
Programme run by the Federal science policy. But,
with no research platform of their own (such as a ship
or a polar base), the only way the Belgian researchers
could get to work was in collaboration with other
nations. On the positive side our Belgian researchers
managed, like no other nation, to establish themselves
in the international research networks, where they
have remained active to this day. Recognition of
their valued expertise comes every year in the form
of invitations to join other nations’ programmes.
On the negative side, of course, they were always
dependent on the nations they collaborated with and
were not able to choose their own research area. Nor
were they able to offer much in exchange for this free
international cooperation. The idea gradually began
to grow that a new Belgian base would solve these
problems nicely.”
A new station in exchange of rendered
services
That base might never have actually materialised,
had the Federal science policy not commissioned an
international audit in that period to assess the quality
of Belgian Antarctic research since 1985. Hugo Decleir:
“The results of that audit revealed that the research
done by our scientists in ensuing phases after 1985
was of an extremely high quality. But it also revealed
that there were calls for the Belgians to improve
their visibility on the South Pole.” It was then just
waiting for Alain Hubert and his International Polar
Foundation to take the initiative and start attracting
private investors and winning politicians over to the
need for a new station, after which there was nothing
to stand in the way of the Princess Elisabeth base,
which will be inaugurated early 2009.
All rights reserved D.R.
27
Climate change and biodiversity
© Frank Pattyn (ASPI and BELISSIMA projects)
According to Hugo Decleir the location of the new
Belgian base – in Utsteinen in East Antarctic Dronning
Maud Land – is ideal for just about any kind of
research programme you might imagine. “The location
was carefully selected so that it would be easy to study
every conceivable landscape from the base”, he tells
us. “We have the floating ice shelf off the coast, the
Sør Rondane mountains, and the Antarctic plateau all
within a radius of 200 kilometres, which opens up an
enormous diversity of research opportunities.” And
this ties in perfectly with the new types of subject
being studied today. “Whereas the research undertaken
during the International Geophysical Year focused on
the geophysical study of the upper atmosphere and its
relation to solar activity, the studies now tend to be
directed towards environment and climate research,
and subjects such as biology, and more specifically
microbiology, have become much more important
research topics”, he tells us. Another thing that has
changed is the method of study. “Whereas most of
the research was systematic, this ‘measurement for
measurement’s sake’ is no longer valued. Of course
the climate, the magnetic field and the ionosphere
still have to be observed, but today the emphasis lies
on problem solving science: a problem is raised and
scientists are required to contribute to the solution.”
28
Modern-day Belgian research in the Antarctic falls
under phase six of the Belgian Antarctic Research
Programme, which runs from 2006 to 2010. The most
important subjects under study are climate change
and biodiversity. One of the researchers involved
in the study of how our climate is changing is
glaciologist Prof. Dr. Frank Pattyn of the Université
Libre de Bruxelles. At the end of 2008 he and his
ULB colleague Prof. Dr. Jean-Louis Tison will become
the first people to use the Princess Elisabeth station
for research purposes. “The Antarctic is a passive
and active research terrain for glaciologists”, he
tells us. “Passive because the ice records all kinds
of information. This is because every year a layer of
ice containing tiny air bubbles and other materials is
laid down. Researchers drill down through centuries
of accumulated ice and are able to use these air
bubbles to reconstruct the climate over that period.
The South Pole is an active research terrain because
the Antarctic ice moves, and these movements affect
our climate. The sea level changes when the icecap
shrinks or expands. The changing ice mass also affects
its albedo, or its ability to reflect back the incoming
radiation from the sun.”
The project that will be taking Pattyn to the Antarctic
at the end of this year – BELISSIMA or Belgian
Ice Sheet & Shelf Ice Measurements in Antarctica,
a continuation of ASPI or Antarctic Subglacial
Processes and Interactions – aims to uncover the
mechanisms behind this dynamic aspect of the icecap.
“The Antarctic ice moves under the effect of its own
weight. After time the ice ends up in the ocean, where
it floats. This is a natural phenomenon. If icebergs
are breaking off more frequently than normal this
could mean that there is a greater quantity of ice
being transported to the coast. Glaciologists want
to monitor this, but, more than that, they want to
understand the mechanisms behind it. This is because
until we have understood these mechanisms we will
the South Pole
© Damien Cardinal (BELCANTO project and BONUS campaign)
not be able to predict things like rising sea levels
when coastal glaciers accelerate. These mechanisms
come into play along the dividing line between the
icecap – which is frozen solid to the ground – and
the ice shelf – which floats on the sea – and this
line is a day travel away from the new Belgian base.
We will be collaborating with researchers from the
University of Washington and using an ice radar
to search for things like isocrones – these are ice
layers of the same age. Our findings will be used to
see if this dividing line is stable or shifting. Also, in
collaboration with researchers from the University of
Aberystwyth we will take a core sample at some point
along this dividing line. We will see if it contains only
meteoritic ice – ice deposited by precipitation – or if it
also contains marine ice, which comes about through
contact with the sea and changes the dynamics of
the whole. The data we get from this will be fed into
models to enable us to make predictions about how
the icecap is evolving.”
The BELCANTO oceanographic research network
(Belgian research on Carbon uptake in the Antarctic
Ocean), coordinated by Prof. Dr. Frank Dehairs of
the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, was also set up to
further the study of climate change. “The main aim
of our research in the Southern Ocean – the ocean
around the Antarctic continent – is to gain a better
understanding of how the marine biological carbon
pump or biopump works, and assess how this process
is affected by climate change”, he tells us. “Sunlight
causes photosynthesis taking place in the surface
water of the ocean, just as it does on land. Only in
this case the process involves microscopic organisms,
single-celled algae. When organic carbon is created,
CO2 – carbon dioxide – is drawn from the atmosphere
and transported to the deep sea where most of it is
released again through bacterial degradation. This
is not much of a phenomenon in just one litre of
water, but across the whole of the Southern Ocean
the exchange of carbon between the seawater and the
atmosphere is actually a massive process. Ice core
samples from Antarctica tell us that this process is
one of the major driving forces behind CO2 fluctuations
between glacial and interglacial periods.”
Frank Dehairs specifically wants to study how the
carbon transported via the biopump is stored in the
ocean’s mesopelagic zone – at a depth of 100 to 1000
metres – and how long the CO2 is kept out of the
atmosphere. It is also important to find out how the
biopump is affected by the current processes of global
warming and ocean acidification. “Both trends are
the direct result of the exponential increase of CO2
in the atmosphere,” he tells us. “Warming increases
the stability of the surface water (warm water floats
on cold) and inhibits the supply of nutrients from the
deep sea, thereby slowing productivity, while ocean
acidification is caused by increasing CO2 absorption,
and impacts on the physiology of the biological carbon
pump. At the present time it is difficult to predict
exactly how the biopump will react to these changes
in the future. Over the ocean as a whole, however,
their effect on the biopump and how it functions will
more than likely be negative.”
Prof. Dr. Wim Vyverman and Prof. Dr. Marc De Batist
(Universiteit Gent) and Dr Annick Wilmotte (Université
29
© Martin Van Coppenolle (BELCANTO project and SIMBA campaign)
de Liège) are doing their part for climate research
via the HOLANT project, which stands for Holocene
Climate Variability and Ecosystem Change in Coastal
East and Maritime Antarctica. “The main aim of the
HOLANT project is to study the climate history and
coastal evolution of the Antarctic,” Wim Vyverman
tells us. This he does at his Protistology and Aquatic
Ecology (PAE) laboratory, in collaboration with Marc
De Batist of the Renard Centre of Marine Geology
(RCMG), by studying archives of the sediments that
accumulate in ice-free areas of the Antarctic coast
and on the sub-Antarctic islands. “Under the LAQUAN
project and its successor, the HOLANT project, we are
collaborating with international research partners to
build up a network of accurately dated paleoclimate
reconstructions covering the last 10,000 years, to be
intercalibrated by means of ice core samples and deep
sea marine sediments. This should give us a better
understanding of spatial and temporal variations in the
climate processes in and around the Antarctic and how
they interact with the climate in the rest of the world.
In fact, many of the lakes in the study have lain below
sea level in the past. These transitions from salt to
fresh water sediments enable us to reconstruct relative
changes in sea level, which in turn gives us a picture
of regional variations in the thickness of the icecap as
the result of climate change. These data are then used
by glaciologists to test and refine icecap models.”
The AMBIO or Antarctic Microbial Biodiversity project
is coordinated by Annick Wilmotte. “Along with Wim
Vyverman and his colleague Prof. Anne Willems
of the Universiteit Gent I am studying present-day
biodiversity in the Antarctic and the spread of bacteria,
chlorophyceae and diatomaceans in the continent’s
permanent and temporary aquatic habitats,” she
tells us. “We look for historical and geographical
factors to explain the spread of organisms, i.e. why
a particular species is found in one place and not
another. I will focus on cyanobacteria, Anne Willems
30
on bacteria and Wim Vyverman on eukaryotes.”
“Although microorganisms are the dominant life
form in the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems of
the Antarctic, we know hardly anything about their
species diversity, the extent of their endemism,
or how adapted they have become to the extreme
environmental conditions”, explains prof Vyverman.
“Given their short generation time microorganisms
are also rapid indicators of environmental change as
the result of pollution, introduction of exotic species,
and climate change. In close cooperation with our
international research partners we are carrying out a
detailed study of microbial diversity using molecular
techniques, biochemical markers and culture-based
research. The results of this study will give us an
understanding of the evolution of microorganisms in
the Antarctic and serve as the basis for any future
conservation plans. Furthermore the isolated strains
will be deposited in the BCCM collections (Belgian
Coordinated Collections of Micro-organisms.”
One of AMBIO’s sister projects, BELDIVA, will be
looking at biodiversity in the environment around
the Princess Elisabeth station. Dr. Damien Ertz and
Dr. Bart Van De Vijver of the National Botanical
Garden of Belgium, Meise, will be joining the research
team to map out the biodiversity of prokaryote and
eukaryote microorganisms and lichens. “At present
we are analysing samples taken from Utsteinen during
the reconnaissance expedition in January 2007,
before the station was built” Elie Verleyen tells us.
“The results will serve as a point of reference when it
comes to analysing the station’s impact on the local
ecosystem. This is because Belgium has committed
itself internationally to monitor the environmental
effects of its activities and keep them to an absolute
minimum.”
In the coming season, i.e. January-February 2009,
besides regular monitoring of the station site through
sampling, the team will also start keeping records of the
general biodiversity in the surrounding environment, to
a distance of about 100 kilometres from the base. These
records should then trigger specific biodiversity research
projects in the Sør Rondane region, on which we have
little or no biological data at the present time.
© Ann Vanreusel (BIANZO project)
31
© Claude de Broyer (BIANZO project)
The third project on biodiversity – BIANZO, or
Biodiversity of the Antarctic Zoobenthos – is
coordinated by Prof. Dr. Ann Vanreusel of the
Universiteit Gent. “We concentrate on various aspects
of benthos research in Antarctica, and, in particular,
we specialise in nematodes, one of the most speciesrich and numerous groups of multi-celled organisms
found in the sea sediment. One project our research
group was involved in was the international ANDEEP
initiative, in which we went to the Weddell Sea to
investigate whether zoobenthos migrate from the deep
to the shallower areas and vice-versa, and whether
an exchange takes place with other deepwater
basins around the world, in this case the Atlantic
Ocean. One of the things the BIANZO project sets
out to ascertain is the effect of global warming on
zoobenthos - how these organisms are affected, for
example, by slight changes in the temperature or in
the quality or quantity of food. We will focus our
attention on nematodes, while the Royal Belgian
Institute for Natural Sciences and the Université de
Liège will investigate the effects on amphipods, and
the Université Libre de Bruxelles will concentrate on
echinoderms. The aim is to pursue comparable lines
in inquiry for these different taxonomic groups to help
us gain an understanding of biodiversity patterns and
their possible adaptations.”
32
Although the studies undertaken in each of these
projects, and in countless more, relate to just a tiny
part of the immense Antarctic continent, we certainly
cannot underestimate their importance. “The little bit
of research we are doing may be quite limited, but it
does fall within bigger international projects, which
are in themselves part of an immense puzzle from
which we are all guaranteed to benefit,” concludes
Frank Pattyn. A puzzle in which our Belgian
researchers have been passionately involved for over
a hundred years.
© Wim Vyverman (HOLANT and LAQUAN projects)
the South Pole
scarmarbin.be: free and open access to
Antarctic marine biodiversity information
Given the pace at which environmental changes occur
in Polar Regions, it is of vital importance to establish
comprehensive information on the Antarctic marine
biodiversity as a sound benchmark against which future changes can be assessed.
The Census of Antarctic Marine Life (www.caml.aq) and
the SCAR-Marine Biodiversity Information Network
(www.scarmarbin.be) projects are devoted to these key
objectives. SCAR-MarBIN is a developing network of
over 93 interoperable databases distributed globally,
providing instant access to comprehensive information
on biodiversity, distribution and abundance of Antarctic marine species, from micro-organisms to whales.
SCAR-MarBIN is the information component of the
International Polar Year Census of Antarctic Marine
Life (CAML) and constitutes the Antarctic Node of the
Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS).
Hundreds of scientists from 50 institutions publish
data and share expertise through SCAR-MarBIN,
which gives access to about 1 million occurrence records pertaining to 8000 species. SCAR-MarBIN offers
services and tools to help scientists, conservationists
and environmental managers to visualize, explore and
integrate complex data.
Since mid-2007 more than 22 millions records have
been downloaded from the web portal for scientific,
outreach, management and conservation purposes.
The data and tools provided by SCAR-MarBIN are particularly instrumental for establishing a bioregionalisation of the Southern Ocean, for identifying future
Marine Protected Areas and for detecting early shifts
in Antarctic marine ecosystem regimes related to Global Change.
© Julian Gutt (AWI) (SCAR-MarBIN project)
SCAR-MarBIN was initiated by the Royal Belgian
Institute of Natural Sciences and is supported by the
Federal Science Policy. It is managed by the Belgian
Biodiversity Platform under the aegis of the Scientific
Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR, ICSU).
MORE:
CAML : www.caml.aq
SCAR-MarBIN : www.scarmarbin.be
33
The Federal science policy:
cornerstone of Belgian
Antarctic policy
Maaike Vancauwenberghe and Xavier Lepoivre
The first Antarctic research programme in Belgium
was set up in 1985 and is funded and run by the
Federal science policy. Since that date it has continued in four-year cycles and is now in its sixth phase.
Thanks to a four-year budget of about 5 million euro,
the Federal science policy is providing about 20 Belgian research teams from 10 universities and research
institutes with the financial backing needed to collaborate internationally with other researchers and
place their research on an international footing. It is
the only Antarctic research programme in Belgium to
encourage a mix of scientific disciplines and national
networking, and to pave the way for collaborations
with foreign partners. The research results feed into
our political decision-making processes and inspire
the development of new poles of expertise.
As part of the Fourth International Polar Year (IPY)
2007-2009, fifty years after the International Geophysical Year (IGY – 1957-1958), the international
scientific community has organised a new wave of
observations at the Poles. On this occasion the environment took centre stage, particularly the issue
of climate change and the role played in this by the
icecap and its surrounding oceans. But studies on
biodiversity loss and microbiological life in the most
34
extreme environments were also of importance. Belgium is hoping that the newly built Princess Elisabeth
research station will provide a sustainable and reliable platform which will be included in the monitoring network developed to study these environmental issues and to outline a sustainable development
policy. In addition to the successful international research projects within the programme, more funding
is planned to support research at the Princess Elisabeth station.
Since the start of the programme, Belgian researchers used research ships and bases of other nations
for their necessary fieldwork. Those other nations will
now be given the opportunity to make use of the Belgian Princess Elisabeth research station. All this in
strict adherence to the Antarctic Treaty.
In 2008-2009 a Polar Secretariat will be set up as part
of the Federal science policy, with the task of running
the base and coordinating its activities. The governing
body will be jointly composed of federal government
representatives and private sector partners, including
the International Polar Foundation (IPF), and will organise the maintenance of the base and its equipment
along with the implementation of the scientific ac-
The Federal science policy: cornerstone of
Belgian Antarctic policy
tivities. The Federal science policy will have the specific task of managing and supervising the research
projects, which will be selected on the basis of their
scientific value and logistic feasibility.
The Federal science policy has always taken a keen
interest in environmental and climate research and it
is in this broader context that fits its long-standing
commitment to Antarctica.
Since its creation exactly fifty years ago the Federal
science policy has been actively involved in environmental research programmes. Following the troposphere programmes of the late 1980s, the ‘Global
Change’ programme of the early 1990s, and the two
most recent sustainable development support plans
(SPSD I and II), we now have the ‘Science for Sustainable Development’ (SSD) programme.
For decades more people and budgetary resources
have gone into these programmes than into any other
Belgian initiative and they yield reliable information
on which among others policy-makers can base their
decisions. The Federal science policy is also setting
up a climate expertise centre which will include representatives from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science, the Royal Museum for Central Africa, the
Royal Meteorological Institute, the Belgian Institute
for Space Aeronomy, the Directorate-General ‘Re-
search Programmes and Aviation and Space Applications’ and the Directorate-General ‘Coordination
and information’. This expertise centre has a variety
of objectives, such as improving synergies between
those Directorates-General of the Department which
operate in this area, developing their strengths, furthering their incorporation in national and international scientific networks, and so on.
Also recent is the technical and scientific support to
Professor Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, who was recently
elected vice-president of the IPCC. The Federal science
policy is covering the costs of two doctors whose expertise will be of great help to Mr van Ypersele. Both
doctors will operate from the Catholic University of
Louvain.
The Department also supports many international infrastructures and initiatives in the areas of climate
and sustainable development (the Darwin Station on
the Galapagos Islands, Eumetsat, the Diversitas programme, etc.). This is a clear indication that the commitment of the Federal science policy to Antarctica,
manifested today in the Princess Elisabeth research
station, is part of a lasting and uninterrupted policy
which started with its foundation fifty years ago.
The Federal science policy is thus with its scientific
institutes clearly in the centre of climate research.
35
Europe retraces the
history of climate on
Earth through EPICA
Christian Du Brulle
To go back in time, simply look upwards into deep space. A
star situated several light years away from us appears exactly
as it did a few years ago. A galaxy situated hundreds of light
years away looks exactly as it did… hundreds of years ago.
To study the Earth’s ancient climates and their
evolution, climatologists and glaciologists prefer to
look under their feet! In Antarctica, the ice that covers
the continent is the result of an accumulation of
successive layers of snow. Over the years, the snow has
piled up, compacted and changed into ice, trapping
tiny air bubbles in its crystals that bear witness to the
state of the Earth’s atmosphere when it was formed
and deposited in Antarctica.
This, of course, is a great stroke of luck for climatologists.
The deeper they dig in this icecap, the further they go
back in the climatic history of our planet.
36
Hence this almost ludicrous idea that came to light
following the International Geophysical Year half a
century ago: why not take cores of ice from the polar
icecaps (in Greenland and Antarctica) and then analyse
their composition, layer by layer, to ‘read’ the history
of the Earth’s climate over thousands of years?
The Americans were the first to set out on this
adventure, beginning in Greenland (Camp Century in
1964 – 1390 m), then going to Byrd in West Antarctica
in 1968 (2164 m). Two years later, the Soviets began
their own core boring at the Vostok station in East
Antarctica, which revealed information that was more
Europe retraces the history of climate on
Earth through EPICA
©Jean-Louis Tison
©Jean-Louis Tison
than 420,000 years old. They were able to achieve this
thanks to various bore holes, the deepest of which
reached 3623 m in 1999.
The analysis of minute gas bubbles has revealed
information on the atmosphere’s composition in the
past, mainly regarding the content of greenhouse
gases. But the dust contained in this ‘mille-feuille’
also has a story to tell. That of ancient atmospheres
where specialists can discern periods of abundant
precipitation, changes in atmospheric circulation and
its intensity, fires in temperate latitudes, etc. The ice is
giving up its secrets. Its isotopic composition retraces
the temperature conditions that prevailed when it was
formed.
Ice, and before that the snow that led to its formation,
are composed of water molecules: H2O, two atoms
of hydrogen to one of oxygen. The variability in
this mixture depends on the nature of these atoms.
Hydrogen may appear in different forms (isotopes):
light, heavy (deuterium) or extremely heavy (tritium).
At the same time, oxygen may appear as its light
(oxygen 16) or heavier (oxygen 18) isotope. It is the
relative proportion of these isotopes in ice that allow
glaciologists to determine the temperature that reigned
during its formation.
The recipe is therefore simple. All that remains to be
done is to obtain ever older samples to go back in
time. We ‘simply’ have to dig deeper to find out more.
With a depth of three kilometres in certain places, the
Antarctic icecap is indeed an area of choice for this
type of exercise.
Europe understood it! The result? A sizeable ambition:
to double our knowledge in terms of the climatic
archives contained in the ice. In 1995, the EPICA
project was born.
EPICA (European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica),
is a project led by twelve partners from ten European
countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy,
the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the
37
© Jean-Louis Tison
United Kingdom. Two sites in Antarctica were chosen
as the scene for deep coring: in the region of Queen
Maud Land and Dome Concordia. Analyses from
Dome C are currently the most advanced and this has
enabled researchers to take up the challenge. More
than 3,200 metres deep, it was possible to extricate
climatic information from the core that was more than
800,000 years old, enabling ten glacial cycles on Earth
to be retraced.
For the moment, it is the oldest climatic reconstitution
based on glacial cores; almost twice as old as those
obtained from the Vostok boring (420,000 years).
The results of the two EPICA surveys are not only
a temporal record! They also show an increase in
temperature contrasts between the glacial (cold) and
interglacial (hot) periods over the last 400,000 years,
probably caused by the relative influences of the
climate’s various astronomic factors. In addition, they
have made it possible to make a detailed comparison
of the regular temperature fluctuations, within a
thousand years, that pepper the last glacial period
(-110,000 years to -20,000 years), both in Greenland
and Antarctica, and phased opposition that reveals the
importance of the role of global oceanic circulation in
transferring climatic signals from the Northern to the
Southern hemisphere, and vice-versa.
38
This scientific exploit, coupled with the technical and
human exploit (the average annual temperature at
Dome C is -54 degrees C°), earned the project’s partners
well-deserved recognition. The European Commission
awarded it the Descartes Prize in March 2008, for its
transnational research programme whose basic criteria
has always been excellence.
ATMOSPHERIC METHANE AND CO2 MORE
ABUNDANT THAN EVER..
Concentrations of CO2 and methane, two powerful
greenhouse gases present in our atmosphere, have
never been as high as they are now! At least during the
last 800,000 years, i.e., the period studied in the EPICA
programme’s glacial cores. Published in the review Nature
of 15 May 2008, this is what one of the most recent studies
by partners of the EPICA programme reveals.
“Never have such high levels of greenhouse gases as those
present today been measured in the last 800,000 years,”
explain the French researchers from the Laboratory
of Glaciology and Environmental Geophysics at the
Université de Grenoble and the Laboratory of Climatic and
Environmental Sciences at the Université de Versailles StQuentin, along with their colleagues from the Institute of
Physics and the Oeschger Centre on Climatic Research at
the Université de Berne (Switzerland).
“The current values exceed 380 ppmv (one part per million
in volume) for CO2 and 1,800 ppbv (one part per billion
in volume) for CH4). Moreover, the CO2 curve reveals the
lowest concentrations ever recorded, of 172 ppmv 667,000
years ago.”
© John Weller
39
2007-2008, an austral
summer with a focus on
research
Christian Du Brulle
While waiting for the new Princess Elisabeth research
station to be put into service, Belgian scientists involved
in polar sciences certainly weren’t sitting idly by!
Glaciology
During the 2007-2008 season, several scientific
expeditions saw our researchers out in the field or
collecting interesting data by proxy for their work.
Here are three examples of the research carried out on
the other side of the world.
Among the Belgian scientific expeditions to Antarctica
last (austral) summer was a team of nine glaciologists,
including six PhD students. It began work on the ice floe
in September on the surrounding area of the Antarctic
Peninsula, in the region where Adrien de Garlache’s
Belgica spent its famous and historic wintering more
than a century ago!
We are, of course, referring to glaciology and marine
biology. But, more unexpectedly, a study has also been
carried out on human behaviour and, in particular, the
impact of the long ‘polar day’ on the sleep pattern of
Antarctica’s ‘summer visitors’. This project involves the
Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Ecole Royale Militaire.
40
SIMBA keeps the ice floe under close surveillance
At the end of August 2007, Prof. Dr. Jean-Louis Tison
(Université libre de Bruxelles) and his colleagues, Jeroen
de Jong and Frédéric Brabant from ULB’s Glaciology
Laboratory, as well as Isabelle Dumont and Florence
2007-2008, an austral summer
with a focus on research
© Bruno Delille (SIMBA campaign)
Masson from ULB’s Ecology of Aquatic Systems
Laboratory, Bruno Delille and Nicolas-Xavier Geilfus
from the Université de Liège’s Chemical Oceanography
Unit, Martin Vancoppenolle from the Université
catholique de Louvain’s Institut Georges Lemaître, and
Gauthier Carnat from the University of Manitoba’s
(Canada) ‘Centre of Earth Observations’, prepared to
join the SIMBA expedition (Sea Ice Mass Balance
in Antarctica) on board the American icebreaker
Nathaniel B. Palmer.
Their expedition started out from Tierra del Fuego, at
the far end of the South-American continent. But it
was almost cut short in the first few days! The reason:
a fire on board just as the ship had crossed the Drake
Passage!
“The fire broke out in one of the ship’s laboratories as it
was heading for Antarctica,” explains Professor Tison.
“We had to turn back and return to Punta Arenas. In
the beginning, we were worried that our mission would
quite simply be cancelled by the American authorities
managing the ship. Finally, after several days in Punta
Arenas and after the boat had been officially cleaned,
we set off for Antarctica once again for a two-month
campaign.”
The work of the Belgian team (nine of the 32 scientists
on board) focused on the ice floe’s biogeochemistry.
“I.e. the study of the physics, biology and chemistry
of the sea ice,” continues Jean-Louis Tison. “It’s a
question of studying the behaviour of the ice floe in the
South Pole, which is sometimes called sea ice. This ice
41
© D.R. (Anne Goffart aboard the Astrolabe)
is caused by sea water freezing on the surface. Not to
be confused with the icecap! This is the result of the
snow falling on land (Antarctic continent or Greenland
for instance) and piling up (plus compaction) over the
years.”
The ice cover of the Antarctic ice floe oscillates
between 4 and 20 millions km2 every year. It therefore
doubles the surface covered by ice in Antarctica to the
maximum of its extension. This surface area and the
seasonal range mean that this Antarctic ice floe may
potentially influence climate variations.
“Its most well-known role is that of a gigantic reflective
surface (high albedo) for incoming solar radiation,
in comparison with the low level of reflection (high
absorption) which characterises the open sea (low
albedo),” the researcher points out. “But it does have
several other roles such as the formation of deep-sea
Antarctic waters: one of the main drivers behind global
thermohaline circulation, an oceanic ‘conveyor belt’
which helps to transfer the equator’s excess heat to the
poles. The ice floe also has an impact on the stabilisation
of the ocean’s surface layer during the seasonal melt.
Sea ice contains less salt – on average, six grams per
kilo of ice – than sea water – approximately 34 to
35 grams of salt per litre of water. Therefore, its melt
42
water ‘floats’ on the sea water, encouraging blooms of
phytoplankton and, subsequently, gaseous exchanges
between the ocean and the atmosphere.”
It is these last two effects that constitute the main
research objective of the Belgian projects carried out
during the Simba mission. The projects are: SIBClim (Sea
Ice Biogeochemistry in a Climate Change Perspective,
a Concerted research action carried out by the Frenchspeaking Community of Belgium - ULB), BELCANTO 3
(Integrated Study of Southern Ocean Biogeochemistry
and Climate Interactions in the Anthropocene, a
research network financed by the Federal science
policy - ULg), and BASICS in IPY – (Biogeochemistry
of Antarctic Sea Ice and the Climate System under
the International Polar Year, project supported by the
Collective Fundamental Research Fund of FRS-FNRS ULB, ULg, UCL).
SIMBA is originally a project led by the American
researcher Steve Ackley. This project leader is a
professor at the University of San Antonio (Texas).
The aim of SIMBA is to study the mass balance of
Antarctic sea ice. In other words, it is a question of
estimating the balance between the mass of melted
ice and the ice mass created every year. This means
measuring the surface covered by ice and its thickness,
© Damien Cardinal (BONUS campaign)
a thickness which may vary from several centimetres
to a few dozen metres!
“Technical progress over the last few years has led us
to hope that we will be able to obtain this data with
the help of the information collected by the observation
satellites that revolve around the Earth,” the ULB
scientist points out.
January 2008. Like all the mission’s other buoys, these
devices then fall into the water when the ice melts and
stop emitting their data and their position.
Variations in the thickness of the ice were transmitted
to the researchers over time by satellite relay. This data
should allow researchers to verify the relevance of the
mathematical models that predict the evolution of the
sea ice in the coming centuries.
In reality, field work is always necessary, especially to
measure the thickness of the ice. And in particular, to
calibrate and validate the satellite data, as explained
later on.
As for the biogeochemistry of the sea ice, which also
interested the team during this science cruise, it was
the subject of targeted studies.
Subsequently, among the means implemented during
the SIMBA campaign, fourteen drift stations were
deposited on the ice floe by the researchers from the
American icebreaker. One of these buoys was financed
by the Belgian Federal science policy. It was set up
on the ice on 6 October 2007 and drifted until mid-
“As already indicated, the sea ice doesn’t resemble
glacier ice in any way,” continues Jean-Louis Tison.
“Neither does it resemble the ice cubes you make in your
fridge, nor the ice which forms on the surface of ponds
in winter, because this ice is formed from fresh water.”
When sea water freezes, it traps small inclusions of
43
© Anne Goffart (the Astrolabe)
brine (salt water), which form what scientists call
brine pockets, tubes or channels depending on their
geometry.
“These can be interconnected when the ice is less
cold (above ‘minus five degrees’ approximately),” he
continues. These brine inclusions are crucial because
it is here that the microorganisms (from a micron to a
millimetre) which live in the sea ice settle: microalgae,
secondary consumers, bacteria, all in very high
quantities.
“One of the main activities of our mission was to
monitor the evolution of two sea ice stations for a
month, with contrasting characteristics as regards their
physical, chemical and biological properties. These
measurements will allow us to better understand the
dynamics of this complex ecosystem and to measure
the potential impact on the regulation of the climate.
The ultimate aim will be to develop a mathematical
model that will attempt to reproduce the functioning
of this environment, and to integrate its impact on the
climate on a global scale.”
Therefore, the concentrations of algae in the ice floe
can reach several hundreds of microgram per litre,
even though there are only a fraction of a microgram
per litre in surface sea water.
This is why the team included Martin Vancoppenolle
among its members, a young model-maker from
the internationally renowned team of UCL’s George
Lemaître Institut d’astronomie.
Sea ice therefore plays an essential role in offering a
place of refuge and culture (during the melt in spring
and summer) in the surface polar sea waters.
Marine biogeochemistry
And as these algae are plants, they photosynthesise.
During this process, they take the carbon dioxide
dissolved in the water, which serves as the basis for
the creation of their cells. They therefore constitute a
potential well of CO2, whose extent is as yet unknown.
It is the link between the ice floe’s biogeochemistry
and the climate…
44
In February and March 2008, seven Belgian scientists
took part in the BONUS-GOODHOPE campaign
The overall objective of BGH is to understand the
exchanges, ventilation and route of the water mass as
well as the biogeochemical cycles in the Atlantic sector
of the Antarctic Ocean. This isolated region plays an
essential role in the global circulation of the water
Marine biology
On board the Astrolabe, the Université de Liège
tracks down the mysteries of marine diversity off
Adélie Land
One month at sea off Antarctica in January 2008 to
take samples of two cubic metres of water and all sorts
of marine organisms: scientific cruises in the Antarctic
Ocean are, for Dr. Anne Goffart, oceanographer at the
Université de Liège, an almost ‘routine’ activity.
© Bruno Delille (BONUS campaign)
in the exchange of heat, nutritive salts and carbon
dioxide with the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean.
“I have been working in Antarctica since 1985,» she
tells us. “And these long sea trips are fascinating and
essential. In my subject, all the data comes from the
ocean; it must be acquired at sea.”
At the beginning of 2008, Prof. Dr. Frank Dehairs,
Anne-Julie Cavagna from the Vrije Universiteit
Brussel, Bruno Delille and Nicolas-Xavier Geilfus from
the Université de Liège and Damien Cardinal, Frédéric
Planchon and François Fripiat from the Royal Museum
of Central Africa, went to the Cape (South Africa) to
join the Paul-Emile Victor French Institute’s research
boat, the Marion Dufresne. Direction the Antarctic
Ocean.
For this marine biologist, there was definitely
something special about the recently completed mission
in the waters of East Antarctica. On board the French
icebreaker, the Astrolabe, it was Anne Goffart who was
heading the international science team’s campaign. A
team that was particularly interested in the life present
in the surface waters.
The Belgian team believes that Belgium’s high level
of participation in a major oceanography campaign
would not have been possible ten years ago. But the
researchers of the Belcanto Network (Belgian research
on carbon uptake in the Antarctic Ocean) have acquired
a certain credibility under the impetus of the Federal
science policy. The latter has endeavoured to provide
it with a critical size allowing it to learn about the
carbon cycle in the Antarctic Ocean from the surface
to the ocean deeps. The network’s aim is to determine
the effectiveness of the ocean’s biological pump to
prevent the increase in the concentration of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere. Furthermore, its researchers
are endeavouring to digitally simulate the impact of
the global climatic changes on this biological pump.
“Three ships took part in the CEAMARC campaign
(Collaborative East Antarctic Marine Census) this
year, which was actually part of the broader CAML
programme (Census of Antarctic Marine Life),” she
explains. «The Astrolabe as well as the Australian
vessel Aurora Australis and the Japanese ship Umitaka
Maru, explored the East Antarctic waters together off
Adélie Land. Our joint objective was to improve our
knowledge on pelagic and benthic biodiversity, as well
as the factors that influence it.”
“The Umitaka Maru and the Aurora Australis worked
especially in deep waters, on the continental slope. On
board the Astrolabe, we focused on the coastal sector
and the plateau, exploring waters up to 200 metres in
depth, the surface waters”.
45
© International Polar Foundation (BELARE campaign, see page 48)
Besides Anne Goffart, Pierre Lejeune, lecturer at ULg
and director of Stareso, the Université de Liège’s
submarine research station in the Mediterranean, was
also on board the Astrolabe. As for Jean-Henri Hecq,
oceanographer and research fellow at the FNRS (ULg),
he was on board the Umitaka Maru. This triple Belgian
participation in CEAMARC was mostly possible thanks
to the support of the Federal science policy, the FNRS
and the French Polar Institute, IPEV.
On the Astrolabe, every day was different. After it left
for Tasmania, the ship first brought supplies to the
French science base, Dumont d’Urville, on the Antarctic
continent. Once it had delivered the supply containers,
the ship loaded up the containers containing the
oceanographers’ equipment, which is stored year after
year in Adélie Land.
“We have been working with the French teams for
six years,” Dr. Goffart continues. “We have already
carried out several campaigns with them in Antarctica
within the framework of the ICOTA programme
(coastal ichthyology on Adélie Land); the pelagic part
is under the direction of Professor Philippe Koubbi,
from the Laboratory of Oceanography in Villefranchesur-Mer (France). We are interested in the dynamics
of the plankton (phytoplankton and zooplankton).
We want to know more about its ecology, its spatial
46
and temporal distribution, why there is so much of
it in certain places and much less in others. We are
also trying to understand how the environmental and
climatic factors influence the spatial distribution and
the survival of fish larvae. Finally, it’s a question of
assessing the impact that global warming could have
on this sensitive ecosystem.”
For the scientists on board the icebreaker, there are
busy moments, depending on the type of activities
programmed. “We work according to stations,” explains
the mission leader. “During approximately two hours,
we take a series of samples from a site. Then, initial
processing is carried out on board. We fix the samples
according to their future use. We filter them, freeze them
or sometimes preserve them in alcohol or formol.”
Life on board is controlled by these stations. It is a
unique and fascinating experience, despite the irregular
tempo.
“For safety reasons during the sampling operations,
we’re dependent on the weather which is sometimes
very changeable in this area. When the sea is too
rough, we can’t take any samples. Sampling is done
on a platform 50 centimetres away from the surface
of the water. When the weather’s really bad, it’s too
dangerous.”
The first real scientific results of the 2008 campaign
won’t be known before next year. The researchers only
collected their samples in May. “And you need at least
six months of work in the lab before you get the first
set of concrete results,” the Belgian oceanographer tells
us. This year, the researchers on the Astrolabe were
confronted with an overall observation. “There was
very little wind in East Antarctica. The result? We
had a lot of good weather to work in and were able to
successfully complete our programme. But this lack of
wind also had another impact on our research. All the
biological processes in the ocean were running late. It’s
the wind that drives the swell. And it’s the swell that
breaks the ice floe and causes the ice break-up which,
in turn, leads the ocean to make its exchanges with the
atmosphere and the sun’s direct rays. And without the
sun there’s very little planktonic activity!”
In Liège like in Paris, Villefranche, Tokyo or Hobart
in Tasmania, the scientists involved in CEAMARC
must now measure and analyse the nutritive salts in
the water samples, characterise the phytoplankton
communities, identify the species present in the
zooplankton preserved in formol or alcohol, study the
isotopic compositions of the environment, dissect the
fish larvae transferred to the various laboratories in
order to learn more about their dietary habits. “We often
get surprises,” Anne Goffart explains further. “The fish
larvae, which are barely 3 mm long, don’t necessarily
have the diet we imagine. For instance, it’s not because
the phytoplankton was particularly abundant in their
private domain that this was their main food source.
These are fascinating areas of study.”
Of course, these are themes that require long-term
monitoring. “The areas we’ve explored this year are
among the less well known,” concludes the mission
leader. “Our project is to subsequently create a
workshop area, a reference area whereby, through
successive campaigns, it will be possible for us to carry
out a study on the inter-annual variability of marine
ecosystems.”
© Martin Van Coppenolle (SIMBA campaign)
You said climate changes? In the end, that’s what it’s
all about.
47
HUMAN ACHIEVEMENTS
First study on sleep on the Princess Elisabeth research station
(Circadian rhythm, sleep and performance during an Antarctic
summer expedition)
Interview with Nathalie Pattyn, doctor in medicine and
psychology (VUB & RMA)
What is the impact of the long polar day on the sleep
pattern of the builders of the new Belgian research station
in Antarctica? Did the fact that there was a continuous
period without any night have an effect on the quality and
quantity of sleep among these people? And did their mood
and cognitive behaviour also suffer? Nathalie Pattyn, doctor
in medicine and psychology at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel
(VUB), attached to this university’s department of biological
psychology, and junior lecturer and research fellow at the
École royale militaire (ERM), is fascinated by these issues.
“Since my PhD,” explains this military doctor, “I have been
interested in the problem of human performance in extreme
environments. Of course, I’ve worked in the domains of
aeronautics and space”.
“When the construction of the new Belgian station in Antarctica
took shape, it gave us the chance to find out more about sleep
and the physical and cognitive performances of these builders
who were going to live in a very difficult environment during a
long period with no night”.
“In these types of studies, we are often confronted with
the problem of the number of people to study. In the space
sector, for instance, we work on one person or a small group
of astronauts. Here, with the construction of the base, the
potential human sample was significantly greater”.
“In the experiment we wanted to carry out, there was another
piece of data that also interested us. As it was an expedition to
construct a new station, there was no pre-existing infrastructure
available. Therefore, these workers had no possibility of getting
away from the long polar day by sheltering in a building or of
isolating themselves from the polar environment”.
Antarctic summer 2007-2008. The Foundation agreed, as
well as a good part of the forty or so people who stayed at
the construction site during the four months of the building
season. We were therefore able to launch the programme”.
“In total, twenty human guinea pigs volunteered. Throughout
their stay, they were subjected to different tests. We wrote a
user manual for the doctor or nurse who was going to carry
out the tests. An information document was also given to
those taking part in the study”.
“We initially envisaged carrying out tests using a
polysomnograph. This device has a series of electrodes that
you place on the head, torso and legs of the subject, which
allow you to monitor their sleep. But it quickly turned out that
this device wasn’t very easy to use, especially because of the
number of electrodes that had to be placed on the volunteer’s
head before they went to sleep. Therefore, we had to give up”.
“However, we were able to carry out other tests. Hormone levels
were measured on the basis of melatonin levels in saliva before
going to sleep and upon waking up. Melatonin is the hormone
whose production is stimulated when it’s dark and which helps
us to fall asleep”.
“Thanks to a number of questionnaires, an attention test and
another measurement based on saliva (cortisol), we were able
to gather information on the evolution of mood and state
of stress among the participants. Finally, we also measured
the physical activity of the participants through a bracelet
(actigraph) fitted with accelerometers, which had to be worn
during a continuous 72-hour period.”
The first results of this study are not expected before this
autumn. Part of the equipment used for these tests during
the BELARE 2007-2008 expedition was supposed to return
to Belgium by boat. However, the doctor is already clearly
aware that the next building campaign, this time to finish the
interior of the Princess Elisabeth research station, could be
very useful to complete her data. Even if the number of people
participating in the BELARE 2008-2009 expedition during the
new Antarctic season were to be halved compared with the
previous year.
“Furthermore, we were presented with a variety of profiles:
people who were going to be subject to heavy physical exercise
(to build the base), which obviously would have an influence
on sleep; and others whose physical effort would theoretically
be lower (management, cooking, etc.)”.
“We therefore got in contact with the International Polar
Foundation to suggest carrying out a series of experiments
on the staff who would be working in Antarctica during the
48
© John Weller
49
Belgium builds the most
environment-friendly
polar base ever
Els Verweire
Exactly forty years after being forced to leave the King
Baudouin Base, the Belgians again have a research station
at the South Pole. Relying on a unique combination of
technologies the Princess Elisabeth research station is the
first polar base ever to run entirely on renewable energy.
There were happy faces all around at the press
conference in the buildings of the International Polar
Foundation on 11 March this year. Alain Hubert had
just returned from the Antarctic, where he and his
specialist construction team had finished work on the
external structure of the Princess Elisabeth station,
the brand new Belgian research station at the South
Pole. They made the base windproof, installed the
garages, and set up the eight wind turbines which
will power the base along with solar energy, and
managed it all before the Antarctic winter starts
50
and the continent is scourged by heavy winds and
snowstorms. “After four years of preparation we have
successfully completed phase one of our project, a
week ahead of schedule”, Hubert tells the journalists
enthusiastically. With similar pride Johan Berte,
leader of the Belgian station project, adds: “We have
obviously reached a historic milestone here. The base
is up, and, it is the most environment-friendly ever. It
will be the first to run solely on wind and solar power;
it has the lowest energy requirement ever; and carbon
emissions are extremely low.”
environment-friendly polar base ever
© International Polar Foundation
The initiative to build a new Belgian base came from
Alain Hubert himself. In 2002 he and glaciologist
Hugo Decleir of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel,
and climatologist André Berger of the Université
Catholique de Louvain set up the International Polar
Foundation to raise awareness of climate change,
of the vulnerability of the polar regions and of the
need to preserve them. It quickly became apparent
that a new Belgian base was needed in the Antarctic,
one of the reasons being that since the closure of the
King Baudouin base (the first Belgian research station
in Antarctica), there had been a missing link in the
scientific network for geophysical and climatological
observation in the region. Alain Hubert went looking
for the necessary funds. Johan Berte, a specialist in
innovation projects who earned his credits as designer
in space industry, took charge of designing the base
and coordinating the project. The plan was to allow
the construction of the base to coincide with the start
of the fourth International Polar Year.
51
Innovative puzzle
From the very start of the project it was clear to the team
that it would be a base with close to zero impact on the
environment. However mostly existing materials and
technologies were used. “For that purpose nothing new
was developed for the base,” Johan Berte explains. “Of
course many of the techniques we applied were state of
the art, but everything we used on the base was already
in existence. The innovative thing about the design is
the puzzle, not the pieces.” His first assignment was
to think of a design method for this unique project.“I
didn’t build on conventional wisdom, but called
everything into question before getting together with
our technical partners to select the systems most suited
to our environment-friendly concept”, he tells us. “For
example, we chose timber for the window frames, not the
more obvious hi-tech materials. We also took account
of the special conditions in the Antarctic, something
people strangely enough often overlook when building
a polar base. It goes without saying that to develop
and implement this concept we sought out a group of
partners from industry and the research environment,
all of whom contributed the know-how to make the
project work in the end.”
52
The objective was to build a base that would run
solely on sustainable energy, so it had to be located
at a place with enough sun and wind to keep it
operating through the season. Berte: “The idea was
to build a summer station that would be operational
from November to February. In the Antarctic, the sun
does not set between the end of September and the
end of March. This means that no matter how low the
sun is over the horizon it will always provide a supply
of energy in the summer months. This energy can be
collected via photovoltaic panels, which supply some
of the station’s electrical energy, and via thermal
solar panels, which take care of things like heating
water for the bathroom and washing machines and
thawing snow to make water.” But the sun alone is
not enough to supply the station’s power, and what
was needed was sufficient wind. “We calculated that
an average wind speed of about 8 metres per second
throughout the year would be ideal to keep the wind
turbines turning,” Berte tells us. “A lower speed would
not provide the wind we needed, and excessive peaks
might prove disastrous for the turbines. If we wanted
the base to run on nothing but renewable energy
we would have to find a location that met these
requirements exactly.”
carried along with these winds can cause at the coast
annual accumulations up to one and half metres. Some
of the newer bases have hydraulic legs, with which
they can be jacked up or moved. But this takes a huge
amount of time and energy. We thought it would be
better to find an area of rock oriented in such a way
that it would stay free of snow naturally. Rock would
also give us something firm to anchor on.”
However, there were other elements involved in
deciding the best location. Not wishing to be saddled
with the limitations of the King Baudouin base they
soon realised that it would have to be a land base.
“The first Belgian base was forced to close after barely
ten years, and this had a lot to do with the fact that
it was built on the ice. The building was heated, and,
because some of that heat escaped to the outside, the
ice below the station melted away, causing the building
to distort and become unstable. Furthermore, it had to
contend with snowdrifts, which piled up on the roof
and gradually flattened the station.” According to
Berte these snowdrifts were caused by the Antarctic
climate, which is dominated by so-called katabatic
winds. “These are enormously powerful winds caused
by the gigantic Antarctic ice mass. When the air mass
above the continent cools this creates winds which
head down towards the sea at speeds of up to 300
kilometres per hour. The enormous masses of snow
But the job did not stop there. “We also wanted to
steer clear of the usual disadvantages you get with a
land base,” Berte continues. “Polar stations built on
rock are generally more difficult to access than ice
bases. Firstly, because they are often further inland,
and away from the shore; and secondly because they
are built on bare rock, where it is impossible to use
snowmobiles. The big disadvantage with this is that
you can only transport your supplies to the rock edge,
after which you have a long way to carry them by hand.
Also, storage areas have to be dug into the snow, and
if the area of rock is big that snow can be a long way
away from the base, which is a real problem.” So they
were looking for a needle in a haystack - a small area
of rock that was naturally snow-free and big enough
to anchor the base, yet small enough to offer good
access. It would need to have enough snow around
to make drinking water, and it would need to offer
sufficient protection against the destructive katabatic
winds.
The project team used satellite images, aerial photos
and old topographical maps to select a number of
potential locations. At one – in Utsteinen in East
Antarctic Dronning Maud Land, a few kilometres
from the Sør Rondane Mountains – they found a
relative flat granite rock ridge, a pinnacle measuring
700 metres long, 16 metres wide, and rising twenty
metres above the snow. It was just big enough for a
stable base. “To know the meterological conditions at
this location we set up lots of measuring instruments
on a first expedition, the Belgian Antarctic Research
Expedition or BELARE 2004, and returned to check
them on a second expedition the following year. To our
amazement the figures showed an average wind speed
of exactly 7 metres per second for the previous year,
53
and the wind never peaked over 36 metres per second
- ideal conditions for our turbines. The station itself
would be protected from the most severe katabatic
winds by the Sør Rodanege mountain range.”
It turned out that the ridge was also a prime location
from a scientific point of view. Hugo Decleir:
“The position presents a broad range of research
opportunities.” He goes on to explain, “Every
conceivable type of landscape – from the coast to
the Antarctic plateau, glaciers and mountain range
– lies within a radius of less than 200 kilometres,
which makes it possible for us to study different
environments.” And finally, a safe anchorage could be
found for the Ivan Papanin, the ice breaker that will
bring supplies and equipment to the selected site.
Energy efficient design
They had the ideal location – about half way between
the Russian Novolazarevskaya base and the Japanese
Syowa station – and now it was up to Johan Berte
to get together with design bureau 3E to knock up
an energy efficient design that would make the best
use of the renewable energy. First of all, in order to
limit the energy requirement, they deliberately kept
the buildings – a living module on top of the rock,
garages, and store rooms in the snow beside the
rocks – to a fairly small, total usable area of 1,400
square metres (400m2 in the living areas). Then,
they gave the main building a concentric design.
“In the middle of the building there is a technical
core containing the most temperature sensitive and
vulnerable installations,” explains Berte. “The first
54
buffer zone around this contains the active areas,
such as the kitchen, bathroom and laundry room. The
second layer contains the passive areas, such as the
living room and bedrooms. Thanks to the concentric
architecture, power, water and waste can be supplied
or led off through the walls. This saves on materials
(pipes and cables), but also on energy, because the
water, for example, is pumped over a much shorter
distance. Not only that, but fewer components mean
a reduced risk of defect and the close proximity of
the various systems allows for integration: the solar
thermal system, for example, provides hot water, but
it can also provide heat to the bioreactors for water
purification.” They also set up the solar panels on
the main building in such a way that most power is
actually generated when it is most in demand, and they
kept energy losses to an absolute minimum by using
the most energy efficient appliances, for example,
and making sure the station was heavily insulated. As
a result of all these measures the Princess Elisabeth
base will need only a fifth of the energy used by an
Antarctic station of comparable size.
A great deal of thought also went into the
environmental impact of the base. “Not only will we
be doing everything we can to keep our production
of waste to a minimum, but we will be using a new
approach to how we process it - we won’t incinerate
it, because this creates toxic gasses, but we will
collect it in containers and transport it away for
further processing,” explains Berte. “Even the way we
store fuel will be different. Most bases use so much
fuel that they have to compress their empty drums
to store them away. Our fuel consumption is so low
that we can simply return the drums to Cape Town,
where they can be refilled. Furthermore, the base will
produce hardly any wastewater. We will only bring
in fresh drinking water for drinking, cooking and
showering, but that water will be collected, purified
and used for other applications, such as the washing
machines and toilets. If after a while the system does
collect too much water and some has to be discharged,
it will be purified to an extremely high degree first,
to remove all biological traces. The water will drain
into what we call a randkluft, a deep opening
between the rock ridge and the permanent ice, where
it will go deep underground, immediately freeze, and
remain for centuries - more than ten thousand years
the glaciologists tell us. As a result, damage to the
environment can be more or less ruled out.” Finally,
the building is designed in such a way that it can be
easily dismantled and removed, in 25 years time, say.
Not only does this fit in with the base’s concept, but it
also complies with the Antarctic Treaty Regulations,
which state that no trace of a base should remain
once it has closed.
Finally, Johan Berte points out that a great deal of
thought went into what he calls human factors. “I
have visited a great many polar institutes, and studied
a few in the field, including the Norwegian Troll
station. What I have learned is that there are many
architectural design elements which allow people to
live and work in and around polar bases comfortably
and efficiently. We have tried to fit these into our
design wherever we can. When placing the windows,
for example, we looked at the energy requirements,
but we also kept the psychological aspects in mind.
We know that researchers are much happier if they
have a good view of the environment while they are
working, so we placed the windows in such a way that
they are at eye-level for the scientists when seated,
which they are 85% of the time. We also found the
right balance between allowing in as much natural
light as possible, avoiding blinding through the sun’s
low elevation, and finally, overheating. We have also
avoided the dark-corridor effect that many bases are
notorious for by making it possible to walk through
the base in different ways and by creating viewpoints
at the landscape. Of course, we have devoted a great
deal of attention to safety. We have made it possible
for the researchers to move safely between the main
building and the utility areas, such as the garages,
even in severe storm weather, simply by connecting
all the areas together.”
of the base and to drop off vehicles, fuel and other
heavy equipment. The external structure of the base
was completed this winter. All that remains now is to
bring in the base’s internal functional systems, such as
the power management and wastewater purification
systems. These were thoroughly tested in Brussels
during the 2008 summer before being installed in the
base during the last phase of the project in November
2008. “We are testing the separate subsystems as well
as the proper functioning of the whole,” explains
Berte. The importance of this became clear when the
external structure of the base was erected in Brussels
beforehand, on the Tour & Taxis ground. “It was a
huge effort, but it saved us a lot of time, because
it is obviously much easier to solve problems or
shortcomings here than it is in the Antarctic: here,
you can easily send a component back to the factory
to be adapted, but not at the South Pole. If everything
runs to plan the technical core of the building can be
fully installed in November this year and the Princess
Elisabeth research station will be fully operational
by March 2009.” At the end of this year glaciologist
Frank Pattyn of the Université Libre de Bruxelles will
be the first researcher to be able to use the station as
his base camp for an expedition.
In the Antarctic summer of 2006-2007 the third
expedition set off to prepare the site for construction
© Pierre Demoitié
55
Four new scientific
research stations on the
White continent
Christian Du Brulle
At the beginning of the International Polar Year 2007-2009, 65
scientific bases were active on the White continent. Since the
beginning of this international year, four new bases, each with
a strong personality, have been making their way to join them.
Besides the Belgian Princess Elisabeth research station,
whose main characteristic will be a 100 % ‘clean’
scientific station, there is also a new British station,
Halley VI, a new German base Neumayer Station III,
but also a future Chinese station at the top of the polar
icecap on Dome A (Argus), in East Antarctica. Let’s go
for a guided tour.
First construction season for Halley VI
Halley VI, the new British scientific station is currently
being assembled in Antarctica. The works began
in 2007-2008 on the Brunt Ice Shelf, a platform of
floating ice some 200 metres thick, situated in the
region of Queen Maud Land, or Dronning Maud Land.
56
A region of Antarctica which the Germans are also
directly involved with through their Neumayer station,
as well as the Belgians with their Princess Elisabeth
research station. However, there are several hundred
kilometres between them!
The presence of the British on the Brunt Ice Shelf dates
back to 1956. This is where the first Halley station
was built within the framework of the 1957-1958
International Geophysical Year.
The Brunt Ice Shelf (an ice shelf refers to a place where
the continental glacier is no longer resting on land
but is floating on the ocean. These structures can be
several hundred metres thick and several hundred
Four new scientific research stations
on the White continent
© British Antarctic Survey (Halley VI)
kilometres wide) flows in the direction of the Weddell
Sea at a speed of approximately 500 metres a year. For
the moment, it houses the Halley V station.
Large fragments of this platform sometimes break off,
thus creating icebergs. The British studies of the British
Antarctic Survey (BAS) – the British polar agency –
revealed certain risks for the current scientific station.
It could potentially become a victim of a major
fragmentation of the ice in the next ten years. In order
to ensure the continuity of the research begun in this
region more than half a century ago, BAS therefore
decided to replace Halley V with a new station, that is
more modern and… more mobile!
Halley VI will actually be a station on skis! If the
spur of ice on which it will be placed progresses too
rapidly, it will be possible to tow Halley VI to a more
appropriate and less dangerous place on the Ice Shelf.
This is what explains the very particular architecture of
this station. It is composed of eight independent modules
mounted on hydraulic columns, which are fixed to an
impressive set of skates. The hydraulic columns allow
the station to be lifted, module by module, especially in
the summer, in order to allow motorised snow ploughs
to pass. Snow accumulates at the feet of the station
all year round. Lifting it from time to time to clear the
snow using heavy machinery will allow the operation to
be carried out in just a few days.
57
The chain-shaped architecture of Halley VI, with
each module interconnected to the next one, makes
this station look like an enormous convoy, a sort
of gigantic ‘ice train’, where each wagon can be
repositioned according to the arrangement required for
the laboratories and research programmes.
However, a certain logic will be respected. The station
will be divided into two major parts. One side will
contain the living quarters, while the other side will
be composed of the laboratory and scientific modules.
Between these two extremes is a refuge platform,
designed to receive the station’s occupants in case
of an accident. Furthermore, the complete station
will also include a series of independent modules
that aren’t connected to the ‘train’. They will serve as
garages, technical premises and places to store waste
or temporary accommodation for the summer teams.
Its initial position on the ice shelf will be situated
some twenty kilometres from the edge of the ice, off
the coast (Caird coast) (75°36’56”S; 26°07’52”W). An
‘address’ that will have to change on a regular basis,
undoubtedly as from the first year the new structure
is in operation, predicted to be during the 2009-2010
season. It will actually take three Antarctic summers
to build the new station. At the same time, the current
station, Halley V, will serve as a base camp for the
construction teams. It will then be dismantled and
evacuated to South Africa and Europe.
58
During the initial construction campaign (2007-2008),
the first module was completely assembled right next
to the Halley V station. Others that were finalised on
site were protected by tents to see them through the
Antarctic winter. As soon as the new season began,
the works started up again. During the second half of
the 2008-2009 season, the complete modules will be
towed to their operating site.
The BAS’ polar supply ship, the Ernest Shackleton, is
responsible for transporting part of the new station to
the construction site. But the workload is such that
a second, much bigger icebreaker was chartered by
BAS to accelerate the manoeuvre: the MV Amderma.
The pre-assembled modules are taken care of in South
Africa and directly transported to Antarctica.
The various British Halley stations that have followed
on from each other in this corner of Antarctica over the
past fifty years have done a lot for science, especially
in terms of atmospheric research and as regards the
chemistry of snow and ice. One of the most wellknown examples: it was from this site that the BAS
teams identified the famous hole in the stratospheric
ozone layer in 1985.
With Halley VI, the United Kingdom firmly intends to
remain on site for another twenty years: the expected
lifetime of the new station.
The six Halley stations constructed on the Brunt Ice Shelf
Station
Years in operation
Construction
Halley I
1957-1968
Wooden huts built on the snow
Halley II
1967-1973
Seven wooden huts, lined up two by two, on the snow.
Halley III
1973-1984
Series of prefabricated wooden modules integrated into a sort of ovalshaped gigantic metal tube.
Halley IV
1983-1992
Two-storey cabins protected by half-tunnels in wood.
Halley V
Since 1991
Four buildings perched on metal feet and two buildings on skis that are
repositioned every year.
Halley VI
Under construction since
summer 2007-2008
Interconnected modules on feet and skis. The new station is built to house a
team of 52 people in summer and 16 winter visitors.
59
For the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine
Research (AWI), the German polar institute that
manages these structures, this situation has become
too dangerous. It is therefore necessary to construct a
third Neumayer Station in Antarctica.
© Alfred-Wegener-Institut Germany (Neumayer Station III)
The German Neumayer Station III is
currently being built on the Ekström Ice
Shelf
For more than 25 years, the Ekström Ice Shelf has
been home to German Neumayer research stations in
Antarctica. They are named after the German explorer
Georg von Neumayer (1826-1909).
The first of these stations was built during the summer
of 1980-1981 and began its scientific activities in
March 1981. It was a structure buried in the ice. It was
composed of modules assembled in a sort of protective
steel tube.
This type of station has certain advantages in an
environment as difficult as the one of the White
Continent. But it also poses a problem... longevity.
Over the seasons, the snow continuously accumulates
on the structure, which is finally crushed by this icy
mass. This first German Station was in operation for
eleven years before being destroyed.
In 1992, it was replaced by the current Neumayer
Station II. The architecture of this second scientific
base is similar to that of the first research station.
Neumayer Station II was established seven kilometres
south of its older sister. It is also threatened by the
successive layers of snow that have accumulated on
the surface. Neumayer Station II is currently lying
under seven metres of ice.
60
Neumayer Station III has been under construction
since summer 2007-2008. This time, however, it is no
longer question of a station under the ice but of an
aerial structure that should house its first scientists in
2009-2010.
The new station is a building perched six metres
above the ground and will be a total of 28 metres
high. It rests on sixteen motorised pillars allowing it
to adapt to the level of the ice. Every year, the snow
that has accumulated under the station will be evened
out. These embankments will serve as new points of
support for the hydraulic feet of the structure, which
will be raised each time. However, everything has been
studied to limit the accumulation of snow at the foot
of the station, as proven by the aerodynamic form of
its external wall, tested at length in a wind tunnel.
According to the measurements previously taken on
site, 80 centimetres to 1 metre of snow will accumulate
in this region every year.
The body of the building is in the form of a long, twostorey rectangle, 68 m by 25 m.
In winter, it will be able to house around ten people.
In summer, some 40 extra researchers will be able to
benefit from this thoroughly modern infrastructure
endowed with 210 m2 of laboratories, i.e. the double
of the previous station. In total, the useable surface of
Neumayer Station III (station and buried garages) will
be 4,473 m2. Just like the first two stations installed
on the Ekström Ice Shelf, it will be in continuous
movement. The station will be carried away by the ice
that flows towards the sea. Every year, it will advance
157 metres towards the north. Much less than Neumayer
Station I, which drifted 187.6 m and Neumayer Station
II, which advanced 200 metres a year.
According to the AWI, the new station should be in
operation for a minimum of 25 to 30 years.
© Alfred-Wegener-Institut Germany (Neumayer Station III)
SCIENCES AT NEUMAYER STATION III: CHEMISTRY,
PHYSICS, WHALE SONG AND… NUCLEAR
EXPLOSIONS!
The research carried out on the Ekström Ice Shelf for more
than a quarter of a century by German scientists and
their partners is mostly related to atmospheric chemistry,
geophysics and meteorology. Since 2002, researchers
have also been listening to the infrasounds in the region.
The detection system for this type of sound belongs to a
global network of some sixty similar stations. In fact, this
is Germany’s contribution to the monitoring network set
up to check that the international treaty banning nuclear
testing is properly respected.
NEUMAYER STATION III AS A LOGISTIC BASE
Neumayer Station III is not only designed for science but
it is also the logistic base for all field activities and aircraft
missions in Dronning Maud Land. The German summer
only base Kohnen Station at the inland ice is logistically
supported by aircraft and surface traverses form Neumayer
Station III. The station also provides the weather service
for the Dronning Maud Land region supporting the aircraft
operations and field activities of all national operators
within the Dronning Maud Land Air Network (DROMLAN –
Belgium, Finland, Germany, India, Japan, the Netherlands,
Norway, Russia, South Africa, Sweden and the United
Kingdom).
Undoubtedly less strategic is the other ‘ear’ deployed off
Neumayer Station, which takes the form of a hydroacoustic
observatory, ‘Palaoa’ (Perennial Acoustic Observatory in the
Antarctic Ocean), set up in 2005. It records the natural
sounds that circulate in the ocean via a system of immersed
microphones, allowing researchers to study the behaviour
and ‘conversations’ of marine mammals!
61
© Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (Dome A)
China focuses on Dome A
An icebreaker called Xuelong, a research station on
Svalbard (the Yellow River station), a scientific base
established since 1984 on the Antarctic Peninsula
baptised the Great Wall and another one established on
the eastern part of the continent (Zhongshan)... Without
a shadow of a doubt, the People’s Republic of China is
now a major player in terms of polar research.
And it intends to firmly reconfirm this (at an altitude
of more than 4,000 metres!) in the coming months.
Within the framework of the International Polar Year,
this great Asiatic power aims to erect a third scientific
station on the White Continent.
62
developed containers. This infrastructure should be able
to house approximately fifteen people every summer.
The infrastructure could then be developed with a view
to transforming it into a permanent station.
The site, which is very difficult to access, should be
linked to the Zhongshan station by land (1,280 km).
China is also examining the possibility of acquiring
a specially-designed plane to ensure this link. It first
intends to form partnerships with the other countries
present in this region of Antarctica, especially
the Australians whose Mawson station is close to
Zhongshan.
Preliminary explorations were carried out during the
last few summer seasons in the southern hemisphere.
From the Zhongshan station, based in the east of
the continent, caravans have been mounting on the
plateau, heading for Dome Argus (Dome A). In January
2008, the seventeen members of the 24th Chinare
expedition (Chinese Antarctic Expedition) successfully
completed a series of measurements and searches with
a view to defining the ideal place to establish the new
scientific station. This site, which interests China is
situated at an altitude of 4,100, at the summit of the
icecap that covers East Antarctica, which is in the form
of a plateau 60 km long and some fifteen km wide.
The research that will be carried out at Dome A by
the Chinese researchers and their foreign partners has
already begun! After having deployed an automatic
meteorological station in 2006-2007, China installed
a series of four telescopes in 2007-2008, 14.5 cm in
diameter.
Initially, it is a matter of establishing a summer station
only on Dome A, based on an assembly of specially-
The data collected by the first telescopes deployed
during the last Chinare expedition will be analysed by
The site benefits from exceptional climatic conditions
for certain types of observations. Considering its
altitude and the cold that reigns there (annual average
of -58 degrees!), the atmosphere there is particularly
fine and stable. Furthermore, it has an uninterrupted
polar night for three months of the year.
the Chinese astronomers but also by their American
(Texas A&M University) and Australian (University of
New South Wales) partners from the Plato programme
in order to accurately characterise the qualities of the
site from a photometric point of view. This will help
them to decide which type of telescope to install there
for scientific observations. It could be a telescope that
observes the universe in the far infrared, whose main
mirror would be four metres in diameter.
Besides astronomy, this site also has the advantage
of theoretically preserving the Earth’s most ancient
climatic archives. Considering the thickness of the
ice here (at least 3,000 metres) and the exceptional
location of the site (very little movement / flow in the
icecap), glacial boring carried out on Dome A similar
to the EPICA European project carried out on Dome C
(located 1,200 kilometres from here), should potentially
provide climate archives that are a million years old.
And even 1.2 million years old according to the most
optimistic estimations.
The construction of the new Chinese station should
begin during the austral summer of 2008-2009 and
extend over two years. It will have a lifetime of at
least 25 years. It will be used exclusively as a summer
scientific station during the first ten years, before
possibly being completed with a view to permanent
occupation.
Main Chinese polar infrastructures
Station / ‘tool’
Location
Main types of research
Remarks
Great Wall
station
King George Island
(Antarctic peninsula)
Sub-Antarctic ecology,
marine biology, geodesy,
meteorology and study of the
ionosphere
In service since 1984
Zhongshan
station
Pritz Bay region (East
Antarctica)
Atmospheric physics
(magnetosphere), glaciology,
oceanography
Main Chinese station (4000 m2), in
service since 1989
Xuelong
Arctic and Antarctic
icebreaker (snow oceanographic
dragon)
campaigns
Oceanography / supplies /
logistics
Ship of Ukrainian origin acquired in
1993 and refitted
Dome A
East Antarctica, at the
summit of the icecap
Mainly paleoclimatology
(glaciology) and astronomy
The definitive name of this 600 m2
station is yet to be decided
Yellow River
station
Ny Alesund (Svalbard)
Ocean-atmosphere interactions,
oceanic geology, biology,
glaciology, auroras
500 m2 station, inaugurated on 28
July 2004 (and active since October
2003)
63
‘New’ American Amundsen-Scott base in
the South Pole
The United States have been present in the South Pole
since 1957, with their permanent Amundsen-Scott
base. However, this (international polar) year, they
have inaugurated a new structure. On 12 January 2008,
the ‘new’ station was officially inaugurated by a whole
series of official representatives. This third station is
definitely ‘new’…since 2003 already! Built between
1999 and 2003, it is actually the third American base
in the geographic South Pole.
The first station goes back to 1957 and the
International Geophysical Year. That year, it housed
eighteen researchers and soldiers. In 1975, when the
first building was buried under the snow that had
been accumulating for years, a second station was
built. Partly buried in order to protect it against the
extreme climatic conditions that reign in the Pole,
only the geodesic dome protective structure, 50 m in
diameter, protruded from the ice. It is this building
that was replaced in 2003 by the new aerial building
inaugurated this year. A two-storey building that offers
its staff approximately 7,400 m2 living space!
IN HONOUR OF THE PIONEERS
The American station is named after the first two polar
explorers to reach the South Pole: the Norwegian Roald
Amundsen, on 14 December 1911, and the Englishman
Robert Scott one month later, on 17 January 1912.
64
© John Weller
65
Observers at the end
of the Earth
Christian Du Brulle
No light pollution, polar nights lasting several months, extremely low temperatures… All very useful for certain observations. Astronomers are also
interested in Antarctica.
And while some plan to add telescopes to their polar
infrastructures – like the Chinese who intend to
endow their new research station on Dome A with an
observatory – others have already done so.
Starting with the Americans, on Amundsen-Scott
base, established at the South Pole. Since February
2007, they have a telescope there that has been fitted
with a mirror ten metres in diameter, called SPT (South
Pole Telescope). The result of a collaboration between
several American and Canadian universities, and mostly
financed by the NSF (National Science Foundation),
this telescope observes the sky in its millimetric
component. This machine is slightly different from the
usual optical telescopes since it functions in the area
between radio and infrared waves. These wavelengths
are suited to the study of molecular clouds and galaxies
of star clusters. During its first three years in operation,
its main mission will be to scan the sky in order to
detect galaxies of star clusters through the minuscule
66
temperature variations which are discernable in the
background radiation. By attempting to identify these
star clusters, the researchers hope to learn more about
the mysterious dark matter that shrouds the universe
and its density.
The Belgians at the South Pole
Another gigantic telescope is also currently being
assembled in the South Pole. This falls under the
scope of the international IceCube project, led by the
University of Wisconsin in Madison, and includes
four Belgian universities: Brussels (ULB and VUB),
Mons (UMH) and Ghent (UG).
IceCube is a giant detector of neutrinos, the
elementary particles produced by the sun and when
violent events occur in the universe (such as the
explosion of supernovae, the giant black holes at
of the Earth
© Bruno Delille
the heart of galaxies, or cataclysmic events between
black holes and neutron stars). IceCube will be
focusing on this second category of neutrinos,
cosmic neutrinos.
under’, i.e. those that have crossed the entire earth
before appearing in the polar ice. These neutrinos
travel smoothly cross the entire thickness of our
planet, contrary to the muons which are stopped.
The telescope in question is currently under
construction in the South Pole. It comes in the form
of a collection of photomultipliers sunk into the
depths of the polar ice. These photomultipliers are
assembled on strings of 60 modules each along a
cable immersed in the polar ice. Every austral summer
up until 2010-2011 – the year the neutrino telescope
will be brought into operation – the project’s partner
physicists will drill wells 2,500 metres deep in the
polar ice. Each of these wells (there will be 80 in
total), will receive a string of 60 detectors sunk
between 1,450 and 2,450 metres deep. Once the
4,800 photomultipliers have been assembled in
a one cubic kilometre ice mass (hence its name),
researchers hope to detect minuscule lights known
as Cherenkov radiation. These weak, fleeting flashes
of light indicate a passing neutrino interacting with
the ice atoms. During these interactions, a muon is
emitted. It is this muon which is at the origin of the
light signal.
Since March 2008, half the telescope has been
assembled and is in a test phase: it is already
recording events of cosmic origin. But why this
interest in neutrinos? Because by getting to know
these almost elusive particles better, researchers
hope to shed some light on the history of our
universe. The cosmic neutrinos are the messengers of
information that may go back to the universe’s very
first moments in existence. IceCube is also adapted
to research into dark matter, the invisible matter
that represents 90 % of the universe’s mass…
Our atmosphere also produces a high level of muons.
To prevent these atmospheric muons from interfering
with the signals studied in the ice, IceCube will focus
on the study of the neutrinos that come from ‘down
“The cost of the IceCube project is USD 275 million”,
explains Daniel Bertrand (Department of Physics of
Elementary Particles / ULB). “Belgium’s participation
through the Federal science policy, the FNRS and
the FWO is EUR 1.5 million. The IceCube telescope
(a name which amuses real astronomers who have
observation devices capable of distinguishing objects
that are several fractions of an arc-second away)
will be approximately two degrees… But this should
be sufficient to identify the source of the cosmic
neutrinos that will be detected and, for those furthest
away, that will be the result of events situated within
a radius of several million light years from Earth.”
67
As from 2011, the minimum lifetime of the telescope
will be six years. At least two people will ensure
it runs smoothly throughout the year at the
Amundsen-Scott base. This extraordinary detector
could continue to function beyond this period.
But researchers don’t have all the data concerning
its ageing. Since it is sunk in a glacier, which by
definition is advancing towards the sea, cutting
movements in the deep ice could cause some of the
cables linking the photomultipliers with the data
reception centre on the surface to deteriorate beyond
the first six years in service.
France and Italy have chosen Dome C
In the east of the continent, at Dome Concordia (Dome
C), the French and the Italians are also setting up
astronomical projects. In 2007, Italy installed its first
25-centimetre test telescope within the framework of
the International Robotic Antarctic Infrared Telescope
(IRAIT) project. The intention is to have a device 80
centimetres in diameter to study the sky’s infrared
component and microwaves in order to study stars
such as the brown dwarfs in the Milky Way.
IRAIT (International Robotic Antarctic Infrared
Telescope) is a project supported by the Italian Antarctic
programme (PNRA, Programma Nazionale di Ricerche
in Antartide) and the University of Perugia.
France has launched the ASTEP project at the same
site. This project involves a 40-centimetre telescope
that will be dedicated to exoplanetary research. The
aim is to record a planet as it passes in front of its star
at the same time as its radial speed. This will allow
researchers to calculate the radius and the mass; this
in turn will give an indication of its composition. This
project will be complementary – on the ground – to
the French CoRot satellite, which is also dedicated to
exoplanetary research and stellar seismology, but from
outer space! CoRot was put into orbit in December
2006.
68
ARENA: Europe is also interested in
Concordia station.
Since 2006, the European ARENA project has had its
eye on Dome Concordia. This project, which is part of
the European Commission’s R&D framework project,
will now go on for four years (3+1) and includes 21
academic and industrial partners from seven Union
members (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy,,Portugal,
Spain and the United Kingdom) plus Australia.
Among these numerous partners are the University
of Liège, Amos and Spacebel from Belgium. This
network is co-ordinated by Nicolas Epchtein, from the
University of Nice’s Astrophysics Laboratory (LUAN).
The main aim of this network is to rigorously define the
real attraction of Dome Concordia for astronomy. Clear,
cold, dry, pollution-free, low levels of precipitation,
reduced wind speed, limited turbulence, almost
inexistent seismic activity, climatic stability, etc. At
first glance, there are numerous assets to this high
altitude place (3,300 m). Preliminary data reveals that
during the austral winter, the night sky is light 95 % of
the time. Only one reservation: the quality of the site
will not be optimum at 0 to 30 metres above ground
(above the icecap). The reason is the temperature
inversion which is responsible for disturbances.
However, according to specialists, if these turbulences
are stable throughout the year at high altitude and in
depth, this won’t be a major handicap. Owing to their
structure, the big observation instruments are almost
above this turbulence. As for the smaller telescopes,
the construction of towers 20 to 30 metres high doesn’t
seem to pose too much of a problem either.
So, will very big European observatories like the Very
Large Telescope (VLT) set up in the Chilean Andes, be
installed in Antarctica one day?
A decisive evaluation of the ARENA project is expected
at the end of 2009. If it turns out to be positive, a
of the Earth
new European astronomic strategy could result from
it. And Australia, one of the project’s partners, already
seems convinced. It is envisaging the construction of a
telescope 2.4 metres in diameter at the site.
AIRBORNE OBSERVATORIES
When we refer to astronomy in Antarctica, we mustn’t
forget the other types of observations. At the American
McMurdo station, astronomers study the sky – in
particular cosmic rays – using instruments on board
sounding balloons, sent up to an altitude of more than 40
kilometres.
EXPRESS INTERVIEW: JEAN-PIERRE SWINGS
Jean-Pierre Swings is an astrophysicist at the University of
Liège. For more than 15 years, he was Belgium’s representative
at the European Southern Observatory (ESO). He has also sat
on many committees to define and design satellites with
an astronomical vocation. He is currently representing the
University of Liège in the European consortium led by the
Nice Observatory relating to the Arena project.
even at sites such as that of the European VLT in Paranal
(Chile) or Mauna Kea (Hawaii), open slightly in Antarctica. For
instance, in the infrared domain, around three microns of a
wavelength or between 20 and 30 microns. The long periods
of continuous observation are also interesting in terms of
asteroseismology, detection or exoplanetary observation.
Is the inaccessibility
disadvantage?
of
polar
observatories
a
J-P. S. – It’s true that they aren’t easy to access. For instance,
within the framework of the Dome C projects, you have to
pass by the French Dumont d’Urville base on the coast. Then
there’s a long journey across land on tracked vehicles. This
makes it difficult and really tough to construct observatories,
and it requires complex logistics. They’re also complicated to
operate. It isn’t an easy decision to take when considering
spending winter on Dome C. You’re practically cut off from
the rest of the world for a year when you’re there. One
solution uses remote-controlled automatic observation
devices. But this also poses certain challenges. For instance,
the mirrors icing up. A heated de-icing system is out of the
question. We have to find other technical solutions. The
challenges we have to face are fascinating.
Is the new Belgian Princess Elisabeth research station of
interest to astronomers?
‘Astronomical’ projects are increasing in Antarctica. Why
do astronomers find the White Continent so attractive?
J-P. S. – Not at all. It’s too badly located to be able to carry
out quality observations.
Jean-Pierre Swings – The very low temperatures that reign
in Antarctica, the altitude of the chosen sites, 3,300 metres
at Concordia (Dome C) for instance, and the stability of the
atmosphere are the main assets astronomers hope to take
advantage of in Antarctica. In addition, there’s the long polar
night that allows observations to be made over long periods
of time, which isn’t possible in average latitudes on Earth
where the day-night pattern interrupts the observations.
What is the alternative to these ‘white’ observatories?
J-P. S. – We have to envisage space telescopes. But in this
case, the budgets required are significantly larger.
What sorts of observations are the most popular in
these skies?
J-P. S. – Some windows of the electromagnetic spectrum
that are practically inaccessible anywhere else on Earth,
69
CryoSat-2, the space spy who
loved the cold
Christian Du Brulle
The European cryosphere surveillance
satellite will be launched in 2009
An ice floe that increases in winter in the North Pole
but is increasingly shrinking in summer. An icecap
some 3,000 metres thick in Greenland. Another
icecap more than 14 million kilometres square on the
Antarctic continent. And land-based glaciers, in the
Alps, the Andes, etc.
Planet Earth is above all a ‘blue’ planet, three-quarters
of which is covered by seas and oceans. But it is also
a ‘white’ planet. White like the ice which covers it at
the poles and at altitude.
Polar ice is an important climatic factor on Earth. It
plays a major role in the stability of the global climate,
in terms of the seas and oceans, and the circulation
of the major ocean currents. Knowing it well, and
knowing it better, is a scientific asset that will help
predict the evolution of the climate, and understand
the impact on global warming.
70
In order to effectively complete the data collected on
the ground by the teams at the science stations in
the Arctic, Antarctica, Greenland and Spitzberg, it is
necessary to have a global vision that is as detailed
as possible. A vision that only a scientific satellite
specifically elaborated for this type of mission can
provide.
This is exactly the raison d’être of CryoSat-2. This
European Space Agency (ESA) mission enters into the
framework of its ‘Living Planet’ programme and its
satellites called ‘Earth Explorers’.
There are two types of Earth Explorers. Either it is a
question of meeting basic scientific needs that require
the elaboration of sizeable satellites, or it is question
of missions called ‘opportunities’ to quickly answer
a specific scientific question. CryoSat-2 enters into
the second category. And the questions to which the
© ESA (Cryosat)
71
© ESA
researchers would like to obtain a quick answer is very
simple: is the ice melting at the poles? And, of course,
to what extent and according to which cycles?
The initial launch of CryoSat was planned in 2005.
Unfortunately, a fault in the Russian launcher
responsible for taking it into orbit led to the mission
being aborted. Considering its interest, the ESA and
its partners very quickly decided (in 2006) to relaunch
it. CryoSat-2 was put back on the rails. An identical
model was reconstructed by the same project manager
(Astrium); the new observation device should therefore
be put into orbit in 2009. Among its assets is its work
orbit. For the first time, in terms of studying the ice, it
will be possible to take measurements up to a latitude
of 88 degrees, with a spatial resolution of 250 metres,
while previous radar satellites (like ESA’s ERS-1) only
had a resolution limited to five kilometres.
SIRAL: an interferometer radar altimeter
To answer the question about the ice melting, CryoSat-2
is equipped with an exceptional instrument: an ultrasophisticated altimeter. Baptised SIRAL (Synthetic
Aperture Interferometer Radar Altimeter), it combines
various leading technologies that will allow it,
according to the areas flown over, to work at different
degrees of precision. To evaluate the melting of the ice
floe and the evolution of the icecaps, researchers are
going to measure their relief and their expansion with
a level of precision never before achieved.
SIRAL is derived from the Poseidon altimeter, which
equips the Jason oceanic altimetry satellites. It is
capable of providing topographic data on the most
72
© ESA (Cryosat)
rugged areas of the cryosphere. For instance, the
coastal regions of Antarctica where the continental ice
changes into an ice shelf before forming icebergs. And
in the same way that we can see the relief thanks to our
binocular vision, SIRAL will be able to see the relief of
the areas flown over thanks to its two antennas. The
analysis of this data will also make it possible to define
the nature of the terrain observed and to measure the
floating ice mass.
The interferometer radar altimeter will function
according to three types of distinct measurements,
depending on its position above the globe:
Ë In low resolution mode, SIRAL will carry out
conventional altimetric measurements limited to
interior continental ice and the sea.
Ë In synthetic aperture radar mode, the satellite
will carry out high resolution measurements for
the seas of ice.
Ë Finally, in interferometric radar mode, the
instrument will study the transition zones
between the ice floe and the continent in
particular.
the space spy who loved
the cold
© ESA (SIRAL)
Exemplary positioning
To carry out the ultra-precise altimetric measurements
at an altitude of more than 700 kilometres, the position
of the satellite itself must also be defined with the
greatest precision.
Three systems of instruments will be combined to
ensure this locating: Doris, laser retroreflectors and a
stellar plotting system.
Besides the stellar plotters that allow the correct
orientation of the satellite, the Doris system (Doppler
Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by
Satellite) developed by France (especially the CNES,
the French Space Agency) twenty years ago will allow
it to be precisely located.
This system has already equipped oceanic altimetric
systems such as Topex, followed by the Jason series,
but also the ESA’s Envisat satellite. An antenna and
an on-board computer pick up and process the signals
emitted by a dense network of markers on the ground
which emit signals for the satellite. Through Doppler
measurements, these signals provide information
on the orbit (the trajectory) and the altitude of the
satellite to the nearest centimetre, and to correct
them if necessary. A third system, the laser reflectors,
complete the CryoSat-2 control.
CryoSat-2 in figures
Launch
2009
Duration of the mission
3.5 years
Orbit
at an altitude of 717 kilometres, tilted at 92 degrees
Mass
669 kilos, including 36 kg of fuel for orbital manoeuvres
Dimensions
4.6 x 2.34 x 2.2 m
73
Validations on Earth and at sea…
The ground segment of the CryoSat-2 system is located
in Scandinavia. It is the ESA station in Kiruna, in
the north of Sweden, which will be responsible for
monitoring the correct functioning of the satellite
eleven times a day, and for ten minutes every time.
When this occurs, the operators will send orders to
the satellite and they will take this opportunity to
receive the data stored on board. The mission will be
managed from the ESA control centre in Darmstadt in
Germany.
Finally, to calibrate the CryoSat instruments and then
validate its data, it is also necessary to compare its
observations with precise field measurements. Several
missions to evaluate the quality of the ice, its actual
thickness and any inaccuracies that can be caused
when it is covered by certain snow conditions, for
instance, were carried out in the Arctic, Greenland and
in the Gulf of Bothnia, in the Baltic sea.
The last one lasted three weeks and took place in spring
2008. Baptised CryoVEx 2008 (CryoSat Validation
Experiment), it took place in the north of Canada and
in Greenland, and mobilised Danish, British, German
and Canadian researchers.
This campaign was one of the biggest. Three sites
were examined on the ground (on the ice to be exact)
but also from the air. An almost exact replica of the
CryoSat radar altimeter was used in a plane to simulate
the data collection that would soon be performed by
the satellite. Of course, this was also an opportunity for
researchers to compare the data collected from the air
concerning the sea ice, its thickness and quality, with
that collected on the ground.
Even some polar explorers have helped in this
assessment in the not-so-distant past. In particular,
this involved the Belgian Dixie Dansercoer and Alain
Hubert.
During their ‘Arctic Arc’ expedition on the ice floe in
2007, from Siberia to Greenland via the North Pole,
they took regular snow and ice samples during their
sporting exploit in order to refine the satellite data and
validate the accompanying mathematical data. All this
will allow CryoSat-2, once in orbit, to keep an even
more precise eye on our cryosphere!
74
With ‘Spirit’, Spot 5 offers its services to
glaciologists
Among the many international partners who have
decided to pool their resources to help advance polar
research within the framework of the International
Polar Year (IPY), there is the French Space Agency
(CNES) and Spot-images, the company which markets
the data acquired by the satellites from the Spot
network, in which Belgium co-operates.
These two partners launched the ‘Spirit’ project (Spot
5 Stereoscopic Survey of Polar Ice, Reference Images
and Topographies) in February 2008. Thanks to the
Spot 5 satellite and its ability to take high-resolution
stereoscopic images (via its ‘HRS’ instrument, as it is
known), the aim is to compile the most complete and
detailed database possible of the polar regions.
The HRS instrument allows couples of stereoscopic
images to be obtained with a spatial resolution of 5
metres, covering a large surface area (120 km x 600
km).
Spot 5’s archives will of course contribute to this
project (the satellite was launched in May 2002), so
that the ice’s evolution can be monitored.
The three main goals of the Spirit project aim to carry
out massive HRS coverage of more than 2.5 million
km² of the Arctic and Antarctic regions: glaciers,
small polar icecaps and coastal regions in Antarctica
and Greenland; to allow the international scientific
community, whose projects are in line with the theme
of the Polar Year, to visualise this HRS archive thanks
to a specially constituted web interface and finally,
to freely distribute topographical data among the
authorised laboratories, which is currently missing for
the study of polar ice, and to thus map the evolutions
in these regions.
The first campaign in the northern hemisphere allowed
us to cover nearly 30,000 km² of the Arctic regions.
The current Antarctic campaign aims to cover 2 million
km² of the icecap.
Jean-François Mayence
The ultimate adventure
“In space, no one can hear you scream.” Neither in
Antarctica. The famous slogan from Alien in 19791
could well have applied to the huge 14 million km²
mass of rock and ice that covers our planet’s South
Pole. Moreover, it is where the Aliens would probably
meet the Predators2 in an unlikely sequel…
The saga of monsters in Antarctica isn’t new: in 1982,
John Carpenter made fantastic use of the assets offered
by this frozen desert to locate the action of his fantasy
film The Thing. A team of American scientists look on
in fear as a sled dog is pursued by a helicopter flown
by their Norwegian colleagues. It later turns out that
the poor animal is possessed by a particularly ferocious
extra-terrestrial.
The relationship between Antarctica and extraterrestrial forms of life is also a theme dear to science
fiction and Hollywood. In the full-length feature film
The X-Files3, Mulder and Scully discover a base used
by beings from outer space. The place, supposed to be
close to Wilkes Land, a district formerly claimed by
Australia, is in the eastern part of Antarctica. Since
the exploits of the two FBI agents take place right in
the middle of July, it is rather surprising to see them in
everyday clothes in a region that is, in reality, almost
inaccessible during the Antarctic winter and plunged
1
2
3
4
5
© Hergé/Moulinsart 2008 (greeting card drawn by Hergé for the 1957 Belgian
Antarctic Expedition)
in darkness. But so what! The contingencies of cinema
allow a few liberties with the geographical truth...
Antarctica has a collection of fabulous ingredients for
authors: although part of our world, it is isolated from
other lands, subject to extreme natural conditions, a
desert, hostile to man. However, it contains the secrets
of our past. The apparent desolation of this country
– the only one that has no human inhabitants – has
inspired plenty of action-packed stories. We already
mentioned some of them in issue 17 of Science
Connection4. La Nuit des Temps5 is one of those. René
Barjavel imagines a 900,000-year-old civilisation
whose last survivors were cryogenised and buried deep
in the ice. When scientists wake them up, they also
awaken a passion between two beings, a drama whose
seeds have been inexorably sown.
Alien by Ridley Scott and Dan O’Bannon
Alien vs. Predator (2004)
X-Files, The Movie by Rob Bowman and Chris Carter (1998)
www.scienceconnection.be
René Barjavel, La Nuit des Temps (1968)
75
© Ed. Blake and Mortimer (Studios Jacobs n.v. (Dargaud – Lombard s.a.)), 2007
Well before Barjavel, Edgar Allan Poe took the hero
of his only finished novel, Arthur Gordon Pym6, to
the far reaches of the world to discover this unknown
continent. We are in 1838, two years before the French
navigators led by Dumont d’Urville and the Americans
led by Charles Wilkes planted their flag on the seventh
continent.7 Undoubtedly, Poe’s mistake was to pretend
that his novel was an authentic travelogue.
We also note the similarity between this story and
the famous poem of Samuel Taylor Coleridge8 , « Rime
of the Ancient Mariner », in which an old sailor tells
his supernatural adventures which brought him to
Antarctica. This poem was adapted in a song by the
hard rock group Iron Maiden9.
the theme of Antarctic exploration and the discovery
of a lost city. Another reference: La Compagnie des
Glaces10, famous ‘série fleuve’ (98 episodes!) describing
a post-apocalyptic epic on a frozen land dominated by
rail companies.
SOS Antarctica11, the novel by Kim Stanley Robinson,
is set in the future and refers to the struggle of ecoterrorists against the industrialisation of Antarctica.
This opus follows his Mars trilogy in which the author
broaches the problem of the human colonisation of
new territories.
From Buck Danny to Bob Morane, with the
new environmental heroes
The work was discredited and forgotten, until the
precursors of science fiction used it as a model. The
first to do so was Jules Verne who, in 1895, followed
up Poe’s novel with Le Sphinx des Glaces. The action
takes place in Antarctica, starting from the Kerguelen
Islands. In the lines of this great storyteller, we can
already discern concerns for the environment, the
fauna and the flora of this region.
There are also comic strips set in Antarctica: in
the Les Sarcophages du 6e Continent 12 , a story in
two volumes about the adventures of Blake and
Mortimer set against the background of Expo 58
and the struggle for the domination of Antarctica’s
resources; as usual in this series, the plot mixes
crime and the supernatural.
Another precursor of science fiction was inspired by the
work of Poe: the controversial H.P. Lovecraft whose At
the Mountains of Madness, published in 1931 employs
Another brand new release : Climax by Brahy,
Corbeyran and Braquelaire brings adventure in
Antarctica back as a hot plot, with the climatic
6
7
Edgar Allan Poe, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838), translated into French by Charles Baudelaire in 1858
According to the geographical reference model, Antarctica may be considered as the 5th or the 7th continent. Some models even identify 4
or 6 continents. Actually, it depends on how Europe is considered with regard to Asia, how Africa is considered with regard to Eurasia and
how South America is considered with regard to North America. From a geological standpoint, the earth’s crust is made of seven tectonic
plates.
8 Poem written between 1797 and 1798
9 Iron Maiden, Powerslave, EMI 1984
10 G.-J. Arnaud, La Compagnie des Glaces, éditions Fleuve Noir
11 Kim Stanley Robinson, SOS Antarctica, Presses de la Cité (1997)
12 Yves Sente, André Juillard, Blake & Mortimer (2003)
76
changes as background. The first part of this new
serie published by Dargaud is titled Le Désert blanc
and makes us follow a young female scientist just
arrived at a South pole base and whose life seems
to be threatened.
Climax offers one of the best fictional and
documented story on Antarctica.
Let’s mention also the new serie Arctica, by
Pecqueur and Kovacevic, published by Delcourt.
Another hero transposed into the ice floes of the
south: Buck Danny 13, flanked by his incredible
companion Sonny Tuckson, goes to investigate
suspicious military activities off the Antarctic
coast.
There is also the beautiful film Antarctica by the
Japanese director Koreyoshi Kurahara, which came
out in 1983. It tells the true story of sled dogs that
were abandoned during a scientific expedition and
their fight for survival. A watered-down version of
this story was brought out by the Disney studios
in 2006.
While discovering all these works, we may forget
that the reality in Antarctica goes far beyond
fiction: there are the underground lakes whose
water has been trapped for millions of years and
the icy storms that polish the ice floe; human
exploration is far from having discovered all the
secrets of the continent. It hides many mysteries
that haunt our dreams and our imagination.
© Vostok (Climax, n° 2), Braquelaire, Corbeyran, Brahy, Dargaud Bénélux (Dargaud –
Lombard s.a.), 2008
How can we describe the feeling of wonder, but also
certainly terror, that the first European navigators
must have felt in the 17 th century when they
were rerouted by the storms of Cape Horn to the
snowy coast of Antarctica? What beliefs must have
arisen from the huge blocks of ice drifting along
the coastline of Easter Island, which the natives
considered to be sacred boats ?14
While literature or film plays on our fears, it is
science – real science – that must generate our
respect for this sanctuary of humanity.
13 Francis Bergèse, Mystery in Antarctica, Dupuis (2005)
14 as the film Rapa Nui suggests, by Kevin Reynold (1994)
77
Denis Renard
OFFICIAL INTERNATIONAL SITES
Antarctic Treaty Secretariat (ATS)
Prior to the 1st September 2004, the Antarctic Treaty had
no permanent secretariat. The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat
is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The ATS primarily
ensures the support of the organisation’s annual meetings
and facilitates data exchange among them in accordance
with their engagements under the Treaty itself and the
Environmental Protocol. Part of the site is reserved to the
CEP - Committee for Environmental Protection, http://
www.ats.aq/e/cep.htm, which is responsible for monitoring
the correct application of the Environmental Protocol and
which meets annually within the margin of meetings of
the Consultative Parties.
www: http://www.ats.aq
O: English, Spanish, French, Russian
78
Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic
Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine
Living Resources came into force in 1982 within the
framework of the Treaty of Antarctica. It was principally
drawn up in response to a marked increase in krill fishing
in the Southern Ocean, which would have a severe impact
on the krill population and other marine life. Krill is a
particularly important food source for birds, seals, whales
and fish. This Commission is charged with the conservation
of the fauna and flora of the Southern Ocean; rational
exploitation is permitted.
www: http://www.ccamlr.org/
O: English, Spanish, French, Russian
The Council of Managers of National Antarctic
Programs (COMNAP)
Le COMNAP favours the development and exchange of
best practice procedures in support of Antarctic research.
The aim is to make Antarctic research more effective,
while nonetheless ensuring that it is carried out in a
responsible and environmentally respectful manner. Its
members are representatives of the signatory nations to
the Antarctic Treaty. The website includes a list of currently
operational Antarctic research stations as well as a series
of publications.
www: https://www.comnap.aq/
O: English
Belgian Princess Elisabeth station, whose construction
perfectly fits, both temporally and thematically, within the
International Polar Year.
www : http://www.ipy.org
O: English
OFFICIAL BELGIAN WEBSITES AND CONTACT
POINTS
SPF Affaires étrangères, Commerce extérieur et
Coopération au Développement
(FPS External Affairs, Foreign Trade and
Development Cooperation)
Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)
The SCAR is an interdisciplinary committee of the
International Council for Science (ICSU). The SCAR exerts
a driving force on Antarctic scientific research into the
influence of this continent on world climate. In addition
it provides scientific input to the consultative meetings of
signatory nations to the Antarctic Treaty as well as to other
organisations concerned with the Antarctic zone.
www: http://www.scar.org
O: English
International Polar Year (IPY)
The International Polar Year is an important scientific
programme whose axes are the Arctic and Antarctic and
which lasts from March 2007 until March 2009. It is jointly
organised by the International Council for Science (ICSU)
and the World Meteorological Organization. The website
offers an abundance of information on the projects
and activities connected with the programme in a wide
variety of forms: project descriptions, events calendar,
new publications, blogs, videos, podcasts, RSS feeds, etc.
Several blogs are even supported by the International
Polar Foundation and carry updates on the life of the
Belgian Contact Point for
s!4!NTARCTIC4REATY
s!4#-n!NTARCTIC4REATY#ONSULTATIVE-EETING
Chris vanden Bilcke
SPF Affaires étrangères, Commerce extérieur et Coopération
au Développement
rue des Carmélites 15
B-1000 Brussels
Tel.: +32 2 501 37 12
Fax: +32 2 501 37 03
E-mail: [email protected]
SPF Santé publique, Sécurité de la chaîne
alimentaire et Environnement
(FPS Public Health, Food Chain Safety and
Environment)
Belgian Contact Point for:
s#OMMITTEEFOR%NVIRONMENTAL0ROTECTIONOFTHE!NTARCTIC
Treaty - CEP
s4HE#OMMISSIONFORTHE#ONSERVATIONOF!NTARCTIC-ARINE
Living Resources - CCAMLR
79
Alexandre de Lichtervelde
Affaires multilatérales et stratégiques
Eurostation II
Place Victor Horta 40, box 10
B-1060 Brussels
Tel.: +32 2 524 96 17
Fax: +32 2 524 96 00
Email: [email protected]
www: http://www.health.fgov.be
(via Home |Environment | Biodiversity and GMO |
Biodiversity | Antarctica )
O: English, French, Dutch
Politique scientifique fédérale (Belgian Science
Policy)
s4HE#OUNCILOF-ANAGERSOF.ATIONAL!NTARCTIC0ROGRAMS
(COMNAP)
s4HE *OINT #OMMITTEE !NTARCTIC $ATA -ANAGEMENT
(JCADM)
s4HE$RONNING-AUD,AND!IR.ETWORK$2/-,!.
Maaike Vancauwenberghe
Belgian Science Policy
Antarctic Programme Manager
rue de la Science 8
B-1000 Brussels
Belgium
Tel.: +32 2 238 36 78
Fax: +32 2 230 59 12
www: http://www.belspo.be
BePoles
The website of the polar platform of Belgian Science Policy
informs scientists and political decision-makers of the history
80
and current status of Belgian polar scientific activities, as
well as the publications, events and educational projects
associated with them. In a general manner it throws light
on Belgian involvement in international polar endeavours.
http://www.belspo.be/belspo/BePoles/index_en.stm
(or Home| Research Programmes | ANTARCTIC)
The Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of
Belgium (RASAB)
Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)
Hugo Decleir
President of the National Committee on Antarctic
Research
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
Vakgroep Geografie
Pleinlaan 2
B-1050 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 629 33 84
Fax: +32 2 629 33 78
www: http://www.interacademies.net
O: English
GENERAL AND EDUCATIONAL WEBSITES
International Polar Foundation
The International Polar Foundation was created by Royal Decree in 2002 for the purpose of raising public awareness of
polar research, and of how it can help our understanding of
climate changes and the introduction of sustainable environmental and developmental policies in the region. It was given
the task by the Belgian government of designing and constructing the polar research station Princess Elisabeth.
www: http://www.polarfoundation.org
O: English
Princess Elisabeth Station
Antarcticstation.org is the website of the Princess Elisabeth
research station.
The site not only features a description of the station but also
a wealth of photos documenting the various stages of construction work on this extraordinary new infrastructure. The
tri-lingual site (English, French, Dutch) also issues the latest
updates on the lifecycle and work of the station. Also worth
mentioning are the site’s navigability and user friendliness.
www: http://www.antarcticstation.org
The International Polar Foundation also manages three
other websites specifically dedicated to polar themes in the
light of scientific, educational and exploration activities.
Educapoles
The aim of Educapoles is to raise awareness among young people and their teachers of the importance of the Polar Regions
to the issues of global climate change. To this end, the website
offers a variety of educational resources: study files, stories for
children, activities, quizzes and videos, everything imaginable to
stimulate a young public to take seriously the importance of
our polar regions for our climate and environment. There is also
an RSS feed bringing regular updates of polar news.
www: http://www.educapoles.org
O: English, French and Dutch
Sciencepoles
SciencePoles.org brings the latest discoveries and
developments in the field of Polar science to a wider public.
Articles, interviews with researchers, the latest news, a
calendar of scientific events and, of course, multimedia
resources, principally photos.
www: http://www.sciencepoles.org
O: English
Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC)
The ASOC is a coalition of more than 100 environmental
organisations from all over the world, currently working to
preserve the Antarctic continent, the surrounding islands
and the Southern Ocean. This site carries an abundance of
documents describing their actions and campaigns.
www: http://www.asoc.org
O: English
Het laatste continent (the last continent)
“Het Laatste continent” is THE essential Dutch language
internet resource on the Antarctic. The site contains
sections on current developments, the history of Antarctic
exploration, zoological and geographical information etc.
This is an excellent educational tool, comprehensive and
user-friendly. It also contains some sequences of video
footage and very beautiful photos.
www: http://www.hetlaatstecontinent.be
O: Dutch
Explorapoles
ExploraPoles takes a plunge into the dynamic adventure
of polar exploration: stories of great explorations and
the famous explorers who undertook them. Here too, the
accent is on the importance of such exploits in enriching
our understanding of the Polar Regions and their influence
on the world’s climate. And here, too, you will find news
from the field as well as a photo archive.
www: http://www.explorapoles.org
O: English, French
81
Of tooth and gum...
Pierre Demoitié
For the 150th anniversary of Belgium, a four-colour
portrait of Adrien de Gerlache was reproduced on a 6
Franc stamp.
The 1957 expedition led by Gaston de Gerlache was the
theme of three stamps: a scene with sled-dogs (5 and
2.5 Francs), in green and brown tones; the release of a
meteorological balloon (6 and
3 Francs), slightly more sepia,
and a core sampling (1 and
0.5 franc), entirely green.
The 10th anniversary of the
Antarctica Treaty in 1971 was
also commemorated on a 10
Franc stamp.
Unlike the French Austral and sub-Antarctic
Territories (a French overseas dominion),
Belgium has not actually issued a postage
stamp directly from the Antarctic.
Nonetheless, the Belgian Post Office has
consistently rendered homage to the polar
adventure since its inception.
In 1947, the Post celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of
the winter layover of the Belgica with a carmine stamp
bearing the likeness of Adrien de Gerlache (1.35 Francs)
and a second showing the sailing vessel trapped in the
ice (2.25 Francs). It did the same in 1997 for the 100th
anniversary of the event, giving François Schuiten the
task of immortalizing the blocked ship (17 francs).
Another stamp, more Bordeaux in colour, carried the
same portrait with the famous ship in the background.
82
Finally, the Princess Elisabeth
polar research base has, of
course, its own stamp, once
again designed by Schuiten.
Issued last year in an edition
of 500,000, this was voted
the second most beautiful stamp of 2007...
A new stamp, calling for the preservation of the
Polar Regions, will be issued by the Belgian Post
Office in March 2009.
ALSO :
Polar Philatelism: www.philatelie-polaire.com
The Philatelism of TAAF (French Austral and sub-Antarctic
Territories): www.taaf.fr > philatelie
83
83
The present publication is the result of a collaboration between the federal public services “Federal science policy”,
“Health, Food chain safety and Environment” and “Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation”.
Coordination:
Maaike Vancauwenberghe (Federal science policy), in collaboration with Pierre Demoité (Federal science policy)
Editing:
Alexandre de Lichtervelde (Health, Food chain safety and Environment), Pierre Demoitié (Federal science policy),
Christian Du Brulle, Xavier Lepoivre (Federal science policy), Jean-François Mayence (Federal science policy), Denis
Renard (Federal science policy), Maaike Vancauwenberghe (Federal science policy), Raf Scheers, Senne Starckx and
Els Verweire
Proofreading:
Mireille Lecoutre (Federal science policy), Patrick Ribouville (Federal science policy) and Maaike Vancauwenberghe
Acknowledgements:
Claude de Broyer (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences), Hugo Decleir (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), John Weller,
Moulinsart, Dargaud – Lombard s.a., the British Antarctic Survey and other international partners.
Lay-Out:
www.inextremis.be
Printing :
Impresor
December 2008
Legal depot: 2008/1191/14
The mission of the Federal science policy is to make maximum use of Belgium’s scientific and cultural potential for
the service of its policy makers, its industrial sector and its citizens: “a policy for the benefit, and with the support, of
science”. Insofar as no commercial end is pursued and the activity concerned lies within the aegis of federal scientific
policy, the reproduction of extracts from this publication is authorised. The Belgian State cannot, however, be held
responsible for eventual damages resulting from the use of data featured in this publication.
Neither Federal Scientific Policy, nor anyone acting in its name can be considered responsible for the use which might
be made of the information contained herein or for any errors which may yet subsist, despite the care taken in preparing the texts for publication.
Scientific Policy is bound by all legal prescriptions with regard to material and intellectual copyright, including the
obligation to contact copyright holders. Anyone who feels they have been overlooked in this respect, and who wishes
to assert his or her rights, is requested to make themselves known to the publisher.
Reproduction is authorised insofar as the source is quoted.
Not for sale.
This document also exists in Dutch and French. It is available on the following websites in PDF format: www.belspo.be
and www.health.fgov.be.
Rue de la Science 8
1000 Bruxelles
T : 32 2 238 34 11
F : 32 2 230 59 12
W : www.belspo.be
E : [email protected]
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Place Victor Horta, 40, bte 10
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E : [email protected]

Belgium and Antarctica

Transcription

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